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BR  50  . 

R48 

1916 

' 

Revelat 

ion 

and  the 

life 

to 

come 

REVELATION 

AND  THE 

LIFE    TO    COME 


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EDITED   WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION   IN   TWO   PAHTS    BY 

THE   AUTHOR   OF    "  THE   WAY:   THE   NATURE 

AND   MEANS   OF   REVELATION  " 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
"Cbc   TRnicfterbocfter   press 
1916 


Copyright,  19  i6 

BY 

G.    P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 


Ubc  Tftnfcfterboc'n'er  iprcss,  mew  Jgorft 


PREFACE 

Parts  I  and  II  in  what  follows — treat- 
ing of  the  resurrection,  and  of  certain  re- 
lated spiritual  phenomena  of  the  New 
Testament — are  in  the  nature  of  an  intro- 
duction to  Part  III,  which  is  comprised  of 
extracts  from  the  record  of  an  experi- 
ence that  is  best  explained  in  this  connec- 
tion. The  writings  in  Part  III  are  a  direct 
verbal  product  of  this  experience.  They 
were  printed  for  private  distribution  in 
1894,  under  the  title  ''The  Kingdom  of 
Heaven";  and  are  herein  reprinted  for 
publication,  with  the  addition  of  the  two 
introductory  parts  and  an  appendix  to 
emphasize  their  source  and  character  as  a 
revelation  of  truth. 


in 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 

PAGE 

Resurrection  in  the  Light  of  an 

Experience        ....         3 

PART  II 

The     Comforter,    or    Spirit    of 

Truth 65 

PART  III 
Revelation  and  the  Life  to  Come     119 


Appendices  .       ...       .       .193 


PART  I 

RESURRECTION    IN   THE   LIGHT 
OF  AN  EXPERIENCE 


THE  RESURRECTION 

"  In  the  end  of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn 
toward  the  first  day  of  the  week,  came  Mary 
Magdalene  and  the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepulchre. 
.  .  .  And  they  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they 
were  much  perplexed  thereabout,  behold!  two  men 
stood  by  them  in  shining  raiment :  and  as  they  were 
afraid,  and  bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth, 
they  said  unto  them.  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among 
the  dead?  He  is  not  here,  he  is  risen.  .  .  .  And 
they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre  with  fear 
and  great  joy;  and  did  run  to  bring  his  disciples 
word.  .  .  . 

"The  same  day,  at  evening,  being  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  dis- 
ciples were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  came 
Jesus  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said  unto  them, 
Peace  be  unto  you.  .  .  .  But  they  were  terrified 
and  affrighted,  and  supposed  that  they  beheld  a 
spirit.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye 
troubled,  and  why  do  questionings  arise  in  your 
hearts?  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I 
myself:  handle  me,  and  see;  for  a  spirit  hath  not 
flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.  And  when  he 
had  thus  spoken  he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his 
feet.  And  while  they  believed  not  for  joy,  and 
wondered,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any 
meat?  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled 
fish  and  an  honeycomb,  and  he  took  it,  and  did  eat 
before  them."— Sts.  Matthew,  Luke,  and  John. 


RESURRECTION   IN   THE  LIGHT 
OF  AN  EXPERIENCE 

THE  PHENOMENA  OF  THE  RESURRECTION 


Apart  from  their  association  with  the 
sacred  character  and  mission  of  Christ,  the 
phenomena  of  the  resurrection,  studied  in 
the  light  of  later  but  related  experiences, 
are  discerned  to  be  a  distinct  revelation, 
disclosing  incidentally  the  nature  of  that 
intermediate  stage  of  life  between  the 
earthly  and  the  heavenly:  the  phenomena 
referred  to  were  comprised  in  the  mani- 
festations of  the  risen  Jesus  intervening 
between  his  death  and  his  ascension  into 
heaven,  specified  as  an  interval  of  forty  days. 

That  the  phenomena  of  the  resurrection, 
as  recorded  in  the  Gospel,  have  commonly 
3 


4  THE  RESURRECTION 

been  regarded  as  miraculous,  may  account 
for  the  fact  that  for  many  Christian  believers 
at  the  present  time,  under  the  influence  of 
recent  modes  of  thought,  they  have  lost  in 
some  degree  their  significance  as  a  revela- 
tion of  truth.  That  which  the  apostle 
Paul  regarded  as  the  central  truth  of  the 
Christian  revelation,  as  implied  in  the 
words  ''If  Christ  be  not  risen  then  is  our 
preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain,  "^ 
is  now  often  treated  with  silence,  as  if 
beyond  the  bounds  of  rational  conviction; 
while  the  manifestations  of  the  risen  Jesus, 
if  not  deemed  miraculous,  or  regarded  as 
mythical  tradition,  or  as  hallucination,  are 
interpreted  by  others  as  mystical  symbols: 
and  this  latter  conception  is  not  without 
its  significance,  notwithstanding  its  entire 
variance  with  that  order  of  attestation,  as 
to  the  objective  fact,  implied  in  the  words 
"Handle  me,  and  see;  for  a  spirit  hath  not 
flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.  "^ 

^  I  Cor.  XV :  3-8  and  12-15. 
*  Luke  xxiv:  39. 


THE  RESURRECTION  5 

II 

Manifestations  from  the  unseen  pro- 
jected on  the  plane  of  the  known  world, 
though  not  uncommonly  reported  in  all 
ages  and  frequently  in  the  scriptures,  are 
unverifiable  on  ordinary  grounds  of  evi- 
dence for  the  reason  that  the  phenomena 
cannot  be  called  forth  or  repeated  at  will, 
as  facts  are  verifiable  in  the  physical  world. 
An  apparitional  psychic  form,  "a  spirit," 
subjectively  manifested,  would  be  in  accord 
with  ideas,  however  derived,  that  are 
common  to  the  race ;  but  a  physical  manifes- 
tation from  the  unseen,  as  specified  con- 
cerning the  phenomena  of  the  resurrection, 
seemed  to  contradict  the  reason  as  well  as 
common  beliefs;  and  notwithstanding  the 
visible,  audible,  and  tactual  forms  of  evi- 
dence accorded  the  disciples,  when  the  mani- 
festation had  vanished  from  their  sight 
more  than  one  of  them  questioned  its 
reahty,  for  it  is  said  that  "some  doubted"  :^ 

^  Matt,  xxviii:  17. 


6  THE  RESURRECTION 

and  this  frankly  expressed  doubt  tends  to 
confirm  the  integrity  of  the  Gospel  record. 
Though  physical  in  form  the  manifes- 
tation of  the  risen  Jesus  appeared  and  van- 
ished away  before  the  eyes  of  the  disciples, 
"the  doors  being  shut. "^  Though  attes- 
ted by  the  senses  the  experience  was  ab- 
normal to  common  beliefs;  as  such  it  was 
startling  and  distracting  to  the  mind — the 
disciples  ''were  terrified  and  affrighted."^ 


Ill 


While  they  "believed  not  for  joy,^  and 
wondered,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye 
here  anything  to  eat  ?  And  they  gave  him 
a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish.  And  he  took  it, 
and  did  eat  before  them."^  Why  this 
further  insistence,  by  this  special  act, 
after  Jesus  had  demonstrated  to  the  senses 
the    objective    reality    of    his    manifested 

^  John  XX :  19  and  26.  ^  Luke  xxiv:  37. 

3  As  "too  good  to  be  true,"  in  the  language  of 
today. 

4  Luke  xxiv:  43.     (R.  V.) 


THE  RESURRECTION  7 

form?  This  significant  act  bears  witness 
to  the  fact  that  the  manifestation  was  in 
itself  a  revelation  of  truth;  not,  as  often 
interpreted,  in  the  form  of  a  miraculous 
symbol,  but  an  orderly  disclosure  of  that 
which  is  of  universal  application  in  connec- 
tion with  immortality,  namely,  thje  immedi- 
ate resurrection  of  the  human  personality 
at  dissolution  and  its  ultimate  ascension 
into  heaven. 

By  assuming  physical  materiality  in  the 
presence  of  witnesses,  partaking  of  food, 
and  then  vanishing  into  invisible  conditions, 
the  manifestations  of  the  resurrection,  so 
far  as  their  phenomenal  side  is  concerned, 
were  a  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  the 
physical  organism  is  fundamentally  psy- 
chic; and  this  psychical  personality  is 
"clothed  upon"^  physically  in  a  physical 
world,  but  is  freed  from  that  order  of  sub- 
stance in  passing  into  a  spiritual  world. 
In  other  words  the  soul  itself  is  an  organic 
form,  and  the  opening  of  psychic  senses, 

^  2  Cor.  v:  1-2. 


8  THE  RESURRECTION 

as  to  hearing  and  seeing^ — frequently 
referred  to  in  the  scriptures  as  an  experi- 
ence common  to  ''prophets"  and  ''seers" — 
is  the  unveiHng  of  the  senses  of  this  psychic 
organism,  or  "spiritual  body. "^ 


IV 


Viewed  as  a  revelation  of  truth  the  mani- 
festations of  the  risen  Jesus — now  visible, 
audible,  and  tactual,  and  then  vanishing 
into  the  unseen — attest  this  organic  con- 
stitution of  the  soul ;  the  manifestation  of 
which,  under  favoring  conditions,  is  not 
miraculous,  but  orderly  and  natural  within 
certain  limitations.  The  manifestations 
subsequently  witnessed  by  Paul,^  though 
no  longer  physical,  enabled  that  apostle 
to  determine,  specifically,  through  the 
knowledge  thus  gained,  the  truths  stated  in 
his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  concerning 

^  2  Kings  vi:  17;  and  Luke  xxiv:  31. 
=»  I  Cor.  XV :  44. 

3  Acts  ix :  3-6 ;  xxii  117,22;  xxiii :  1 1 ;  and  xxvii :  23- 
24. 


THE  RESURRECTION  9 

the  return  of  the  dead;  wherein  he  says, 
''There  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is 
[not,  there  will  be]  a  spiritual  body":^ 
implying  that  these  coexist  in  man;  that  is, 
strictly  speaking  in  the  light  of  subsequent 
testimony,  there  is  but  one  organism,  but 
differently  conditioned — manifested  physi- 
cally in  a  physical  world,  and  psychically  in 
a  spiritual  world. 

This  conception  once  clearly  grasped, 
concerning  the  organic  constitution  of  the 
soul  itself,  will  be  found  to  explain,  in  part, 
the  nature  of  manifestations  from  the  un- 
seen; the  soul,  at  times,  even  while  in  the 
flesh,  being  capable  of  acting  independently 
of  physical  conditions  that  relate  it  tem- 
porarily to  a  physical  world. 


As  thus  discerned  the  manifestations  of 
the  resurrection  were  not  miraculous  crea- 
tions of  the  hour,  but  a  temporary  precipita- 

*  I  Cor.  XV :  44. 


lo  THE  RESURRECTION 

tion,  as  it  were  (speaking  tropically),  of 
physical  conditions  upon  a  psychical,  or 
"spiritual  body,"  that  already  existed  be- 
fore dissolution,  and  which  death  simply  sets 
free.  As  attested  by  Paul  the  knowledge 
of  this  fact  stands  in  marked  contrast  with 
conceptions  which  have,  at  times,  identi- 
fied organic  existence  solely  and  exclu- 
sively with  that  physical  body  which,  in 
the  common  experience,  decays  in  the 
grave,  as  expressed  in  the  following: — 
**And  the  graves  were  opened;  and  many 
bodies  of  the  saints  which  slept  arose,  and 
came  out  of  the  graves  after  his  resur- 
rection, and  went  into  the  holy  city,  and 
appeared  unto  many  "^ — momentary  mani- 
festations from  the  unseen  being  thus 
identified  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  w4th 
former  imaginings  regarding  the  state  of 
the  dead. 

In  marked  contrast  with  such  conceptions 
is  the  revelation  of  the  truth  in  him  who, 
having  died  upon  the  cross,  after  a  brief 

'Matt,  xxvii:  52,  53. 


THE  RESURRECTION  n 

interval  manifested  himself  to  his  follow- 
ers, revealing  the  common  experience  that 
follows  dissolution;  when,  after  regaining 
consciousness,  man  finds  himself  alive  and 
in  a  familiar  organism,  the  exact  counter- 
part in  outward  appearance  to  that  body 
which  was  laid  in  the  grave,  but  differently 
conditioned.  Referring  to  this  change, 
Paul  affirms,  "But  some  will  say,  How  are 
the  dead  raised  up?  and  in  what  body  do 
they  come  ?  .  .  .  It  is  sown  a  natural  body ; 
it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body,  "^  &c.,  and  the 
manifestations  of  the  risen  Jesus  will  be 
found  to  mark  the  distinction  when  the 
phenomena  of  the  resurrection  are  studied 
as  a  revelation  of  truth. 

VI 

Transmutations,  whether  of  the  psy- 
chical into  the  physical,  or  of  the  physical 
into  the  psychic,  are  frequently  instanced 
in  the  scriptures,  and  are  not  unknown 
through    subsequent    experiences    credibly 

^  I  Cor.  XV :  35-44- 


12  THE  RESURRECTION 

attested.  That  there  are  forces  and  forms 
of  matter,  so  called,  that  extend  into  the 
unseen  world,  or  are  projected  thence  into 
this  world,  through  which  means  psychic 
phenomena  may  be  outwardly  conditioned 
and  sometimes  made  physically  visible 
under  laws  as  immutable  as  those  governing 
the  natural  phenomena  of  the  physical 
world,  is  now  gradually  being  reduced  to 
knowledge.  The  experience  of  the  seer  and 
prophet  implies  an  organic  connection 
between  the  seen  and  unseen  worlds,  a 
correlation  of  forces  operating  in  a  psy- 
chic substance  common  to  both  worlds  and 
forming  a  material  connection  of  some  kind, 
however  rarefied,  or  sublimated,  when 
contrasted  with  the  physical,  yet  known 
through  its  forces  and  effects. 

That  the  transmutation  of  the  psychic 
into  the  physical  (and  contrariwise),  is 
possible,  is  attested  by  the  manifestations 
of  the  risen  Jesus,  for  he  appeared  and 
disappeared  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples; 
and  this  is  not  exceptional  in  the  human 


THE  RESURRECTION  13 

experience.  But  a  distinction  is  to  be 
noted  in  the  transmutation  of  that  physical 
body  which  was  laid  in  the  tomb. 

That  the  physical,  when  wholly  purified, 
or  "redeemed  from  corruption,"^  may 
be  transmuted  into  the  psychical  without 
undergoing  the  common  experience,  is  af- 
firmed in  the  case  of  Elijah  and  of  Enoch 
— who  ''walked  with  God  and  was  trans- 
lated."^ When  the  sepulchre  where  the 
body  of  Jesus  was  laid  was  visited  by  the 
disciples  it  was  found  empty,  and  his 
manifestations  from  the  unseen  began  at 
once.  That  these  manifestations,  (of 
which  ten  are  mentioned  in  the  scriptures) , 
were  usually  brief,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  record;  but  on  several  specified  occa- 
sions they  appear  to  have  been  prolonged; 
as  when  Jesus  aimed  to  establish  in  the 
minds  of  his  followers  his  personal  identi- 
fication and  the  substantial  reality  of  his 
manifested    form;^    likewise    when    mani- 

^  Acts  ii:  31.  "  2  Kings  ii:  11;  Heb.  xi:  5. 

3  John  XX :  19-20. 


14  THE  RESURRECTION 

fested  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  ^  and  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake;^  and  finally  when  "he 
led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany. ' '  ^  Nothing 
comparable,  in  degree,  with  the  fullness 
or  completeness  of  these  manifestations 
from  the  unseen  is  met  with  elsewhere  in 
the  human  experience. 

VII 

The  appearance  to  Abraham  of  the  three 
angels,  who  partook  of  food  and  conversed 
with  the  patriarch  "^ — Sarah  also  being  a 
witness — resembles  the  manifestation  of 
the  Christ  in  some  features,  but  not  as  to 
one  who  had  recently  passed  through 
death;  while  the  record  of  that  remoter 
experience  has  not  the  particularity  of  the 
New  Testament  scriptures  concerning  the 
phenomena  of  the  resurrection.  It  may, 
however,  be  remarked  in  passing,  that  no 
*  *  power, "  "  miracle ' '  (so  called) ,  or  *  *  work,  * ' 
manifested  by  Christ,  was  wholly  unpre- 

^  Luke  xxiv:  13-36.  "John  xxi:  j-14. 

'  Luke  xxiv:  50.  ■*  Gen.  xviii. 


THE  RESURRECTION  15 

cedented;  for  the  powers  manifested  by 
the  prophets,  though  exhibited  in  sub- 
ordinate degree,  are  strictly  related  in 
kind  to  those  manifested  by  Jesus;  and  it 
may  yet  be  more  widely  known  that  these 
phenomena  are  all  orderly  and  in  strict 
conformity  with  higher  laws  of  organic 
being  that  are  without  variableness  or 
shadow  of  turning;  as  are  the  laws  of  that 
more  familiar  order  of  nature  with  which 
the  human  mind  is  commonly  occupied  on 
the  physical  plane. 

VIII 

Divested  of  the  miraculous  the  manifes- 
tations of  the  risen  Jesus,  studied  in  the 
light  of  related  phenomena,  reveal  in  a 
degree  the  natural  constitution  of  that 
unseen  world  which  is  entered  through 
death.  A  miracle  could  explain  nothing, 
for  it  would  stand  unrelated  to  universal 
truth  as  applicable  to  all  men;  but  a 
manifestation  from  the  unseen  projected, 
as  it  were,  on  the  plane  of  the  visible  world 


i6  THE  RESURRECTION 

in  orderly  form,  through  preternatural 
laws  governing  the  requisite  conditions, 
makes  knowable  by  this  means  that  which 
otherwise  could  not  be  known  except  it 
were  thus  shown. 

The  evidence  of  truths  of  this  kind  rests 
in  the  scriptures  on  the  testimony  of 
"faithful  witnesses,"  who  report  the  facts 
simply  and  without  argument  as  an  actual 
experience  attested  by  forms  of  proof  with 
which  the  human  mind  is  familiar  in  the 
order  of  its  natural  constitution.  That  it 
requires  "faith"  to  accept  this  testimony 
on  the  part  of  others,  is  another  matter 
pertaining  to  the  religious  mind:  Jesus 
reproached  his  disciples  for  "their  unbelief 
and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  be- 
lieved not  them  which  had  seen  him  after 
he  was  risen.  "^ 

IX 

Freeing  the  record  of  subsequent  specu- 
lative conjecture — which  may  either  deny 

^  Markxvi:  14. 


THE  RESURRECTION  17 

the  reality  of  the  experience,  or  interpret 
it  in  terms  of  its  own  mental  habit — the 
phenomena  of  the  resurrection,  as  reported 
by  witnesses  and  studied  in  the  light  of 
subordinate  but  related  experiences,  is 
discerned  as  a  distinct  revelation  of  an 
intermediate  world,  or  state  of  being, 
intervening  between  the  earthly  and  the 
heavenly;  a  substantial  though  unseen 
world  into  which  the  soul  is  immediately 
transmitted  through  dissolution;  not  by 
traversing  space,  or  undergoing  any  change 
affecting  the  mind,  but  simply  by  freeing 
the  psychic  organism  from  its  earthly  shell 
or  tenement — which  in  the  common  ex- 
perience falls  back  into  the  earth  by  which 
it  was  nourished. 

Viewed  as  a  revelation  of  what  is  common 
to  man  at  dissolution,  and  associated  with 
a  personality  with  whom  the  disciples 
had  recently  been  in  familiar  intercourse 
as  a  friend  with  friend,  the  manifestation 
of  the  risen  Jesus  occasioned  extreme  joy 
by   its   demonstrating   as   the   truth   that 


i8  THE  RESURRECTION 

whichrif  thought  of  at  all,  was  regarded 
as  merely  conjectural — namely,  personal 
immortality.  More  than  this,  they  saw 
in  the  manifestation  the  persistence  of 
human  life  beyond  the  grave  in  the  form 
of  an  organic  personality  fully  conscious 
of  all  that  is  deemed  precious  in  the  earthly 
life. 


Divesting  the  experience  of  that  element 
of  the  miraculous  which  would  separate  it 
from  the  life  of  man  by  isolating  it  as  an 
unrelated  fact  pertaining  to  the  life  of 
Christ  alone,  every  incidental  act  and 
circumstance  of  the  resurrection  may  be 
studied  as  a  revelation  of  truth.  Viewed 
in  this  light  it  is  no  longer  possible  to 
regard  that  unseen  world  which  is  entered 
at  dissolution  as  a  bourne  from  which  no 
traveler  returns;  for  he  who  returned  in 
fulfillment  of  the  promise  made  to  his 
disciples^  while  he  was  with  them  in  the 

'  John  xvi:  22. 


THE  RESURRECTION  19 

flesh,  has  revealed  not  a  little  of  the 
conditions  of  that  unseen  world  by  dis- 
closing the  nature  of  the  organism  that 
inhabits  it.  Much  is  also  revealed  in  the 
acts  and  words  of  the  risen  Jesus  while  thus 
manifesting  himself;  for  the  revelation 
discloses  the  order  of  mind  in  which  the 
soul  rises  at  dissolution,  as  still  occupied 
with  its  former  interests  and  affections, 
these  remaining  unchanged  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  that  life. 

Paul,  discerning  in  the  revelations 
accorded  him  after  Christ's  ascension  into 
heaven,  that  although  "Eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  have  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him," 
nevertheless  adds: — "But  God  hath  re- 
vealed them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit;  for  the 
Spirit  search eth  all  things."  In  other 
words,  what  cannot  be  seen  by  the  physical 
sense,  or  discerned  by  the  natural  percep- 
tions, is  disclosed  freely  and  fully  to  a 
spiritual  consciousness,  when  that  form  of 


20  THE  RESURRECTION 

apprehension  is  developed  in  man.  And 
the  apostle  refers  to  this  higher,  or  spiritual 
revelation,  as  unstinted: — "For  the  Spirit 
searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things 
of  God  .  .  .  which  things  also  we  speak, 
not  in  words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth, 
but  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth,  com- 
paring spiritual  things  with  spiritual."^ 
Nothing  could  be  plainer  than  his  declara- 
tion that  this  spiritual  enlightenment  is 
through  a  direct  form  of  teaching  by  a 
conscious  means,  whieh  the  apostle  was 
able  to  distinguish  from  the  wisdom  and 
operation  of  his  own  mind. 

XI 

From  the  nature  of  the  testimony  it  may 
be  discerned  that  he  who  "brought  life 
and  immortality  to  light"  included  in  the 
revelation  both  a  natural  and  a  spiritual 
experience:  the  phenomena  of  the  resurrec- 
tion attested  the  former,  and  the  "m^anifes- 
tations   of   the   Holy    Ghost"    attest    the 

*  I  Cor.  ii:  9-14. 


THE  RESURRECTION  21 

latter  as  reported  in  The  Acts  and  Epistles, 
and  in  the  Apocalypse  of  John — not  to 
mention  subsequent  experiences  not  un- 
common. The  truths  concerning  the 
immediate  resurrection  of  the  organic 
personality,  at  dissolution,  were  thus 
manifested  to  the  world  as  of  uni- 
versal application;  for  in  all  stages  of 
existence  Christ  reveals  the  life  and 
destiny  of  "perfect  man,"^  of  a  perfected 
humanity. 

The  manifestations  made  to  the  women, 
and  to  others  not  of  the  eleven,  attest  the 
freedom  of  these  revelations,  without 
regard  to  special  channels.  That  Christ 
gave  expression  in  two  of  his  most  moment- 
ous teachings,  to  individuals  not  of  his 
chosen  body  of  followers — to  Nicodemus 
and  to  the  woman  of  Samaria — is  likewise 
in  evidence  of  this  "freedom  of  the  Spirit " ; 
which  regards  only  the  human  heart 
wherever  and  by  whomsoever  the  gift  of 
light   is   received   in   its   original  form   of 

^  Eph.  iv:  13. 


22  THE  RESURRECTION 

communion;  for  the  message  of  "good 
tidings  of  great  joy"  is  primarily  to  the 
human  consciousness.  In  all  ages  the 
first  and  most  important  function  of 
revelation  is  to  bring  life  and  light  to  man ; 
and  there  is  no  distinction  of  persons,  or  of 
instrumentalities — nowhere  is  this  more 
clearly  shown  than  in  the  scriptures. 


XII 


Nevertheless,  associated  as  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  resurrection  were  with  times 
and  seasons,  with  "the  hour,"  with 
"place"  sometimes;  and  as  dependent  on 
conditions  the  lack  of  which  made  it 
impossible  for  Jesus,  on  a  former  occasion, 
in  Nazareth,  to  do  there  "any  mighty 
work  because  of  their  unbelief,"^  suggests 
their  distinct  relation  to  favoring  circum- 
stances. That  the  risen  Jesus  directed 
his  disciples  to  "go  into  Galilee,"  unto  a 
place  that  he  "had  appointed  them,""*  that 

^  Mark  vi:  4-5,  '  Matt,  xxviii:  7,  10,  16. 


THE  RESURRECTION  23 

he  might  there  manifest  himself  to  them, 
suggests  that  there  may  have  been  favoring 
conditions  in  a  place  which  was  familiar 
and  associated  with  memories  and  affec- 
tions— what  significance  has  it  otherwise? 
Much  importance  is  attached  to  "holy 
places"  in  the  scriptures,  and  it  is  a 
characteristic  of  the  human  mind  to 
identify  a  place  with  an  experience  through 
emotional  associations.  When  it  is  said  of 
the  disciples,  after  the  ascension  of  Christ, 
that  "they  were  all  with  one  accord  in  one 
place ";^  and  again,  that  they  "continued 
with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication, 
with  the  women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of 
Jesus,  and  with  his  brethren";'  the  true 
Christian  mystic,  or  believer  in  this 
conscious  intercourse — who  is  not  wholly 
unfamiHar  with  the  nature  of  the  means — 
would  say  that  there  was  significance  in 
this,  as  affording  conditions  that  were 
favorable.  Prayer  has  a  direct  relation  to 
this,  as  an  interest  which  unites  as  one 
^Actsiiri.  ^  Acts  1:14. 


24  THE  RESURRECTION 

several  minds  with  sincere  aspiration  and 
expectancy: — "Where  two  or  three  are 
met  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst. "^  Christ  distinguished  between  his 
followers  and  ''the  multitude"^  when  refer- 
ring to  these  things  as  heavenly  mysteries  :^ 
while  on  especially  sacred  occasions  he 
chose  even  from  the  twelve,  three,  as  more 
nearly  related  to  the  essentials  for  such 
manifestation,  or  conscious  communion/ 

XIII 

As  an  experience  revealing  what  is 
common  to  man  at  dissolution  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  is  the  central  truth  of  his 
*'good  tidings";  and  when  its  universal 
application  is  once  clearly  apprehended  it 
will  again  become  what  it  was  to  Paul  and 
the  immediate  followers  of  Christ — the 
very  heart  of  the  Christian  revelation. 
For  this  is  the  characteristic  of  the  messi- 

*  Matt,  xviii :  20 ;  John  xiv :  22.     ^  Matt,  xiii :  34. 
sMatt.  xiii:  lo-ii.  "  Matt,  xvii:  1-9. 


THE  RESURRECTION  25 

anic  revelation  in  Christ:  that  *'the  way, 
the  truth,  and  the  life  "  ^  were  manifested  to 
the  world  in  the  form  of  a  personality  that 
identifies  the  revelation  throughout  with  the 
hum.an  experience.  It  is  not  a  philosophy, 
but  an  experience,  and  as  such  it  addresses 
all  orders  of  mind  with  equal  power. 

The  resurrection  of  Jesus  was  a  revela- 
tion of  truths  b}^  things  shown;  disclosing 
by  actual  manifestation  the  continuance  of 
organic  life  beyond  the  grave,  the  per- 
sistence of  individual  personality  and  all 
that  this  implies,  and  its  final  ascension 
into  heaven.  These  fundamental  truths 
were  expressed  in  the  form  of  personal 
acts  and  habitual  modes  of  thought:  at 
Emmaus  they  recognized  Jesus  *'in  the 
breaking  of  bread  ";^  and  when  mani- 
festing himself  *'on  the  shore  of  the  lake'* 
it  is  said  that  "no  one  durst  ask  him, 
Who  art  thou?  knowing  that  it  was  the 
Lord";^   for   on   these   occasions   he   was 

^  John  xiv:  6.  '  Luke  xxiv:  35. 

3  John  xxi:  12. 


26  THE  RESURRECTION 

differently    manifested,    being    recognized 
through  his  acts  and  spoken  words. 


XIV 


A  manifestation  of  the  psychic  organism 
projected  outwardly,  as  it  were,  from  an 
unseen  world,  as  a  true  organism,  and  no 
mere  spectral  form,  or  "shade,"  carries 
with  it  an  implied  environment  in  corre- 
spondence with  that  organism,  which  to 
some  extent  may  be  apprehended  by  the 
natural  reason;  for  the  manifestation 
implies  an  order  of  preternatural  law,  or 
psychic  agency,  that  determines  this  or- 
ganism objectively,  and  admits  of  its 
being  visibly  projected  on  the  plane  of  the 
known  world.  Thus  the  phenomena  of  the 
resurrection,  when  studied  in  the  light  of 
related  experiences,  will  be  found  to  en- 
large the  horizon  of  the  mind  so  as  to 
include  somewhat  of  that  unseen  world  in 
the  form  of  definite  knowledge. 

To  draw  an  analogy:  it  is  quite  possible 


THE  RESURRECTION  27 

in  the  light  of  science  to  form,  in  a  degree, 
a  true  conception  of  a  prehistoric  past  by 
the  study  of  extinct  organisms  once  related 
to  that  past;  and  in  like  manner  when 
shown  the  living  organism  of  a  future  or 
invisible  world,  it  is  possible  for  the  mind 
to  apprehend— from  the  nature  of  this 
organism  and  the  order  of  mind  associated 
with  it — somewhat  of  its  invisible  environ- 
ment and  life.  This  is  a  rational  explana- 
tion of  the  act  of  the  risen  Jesus  in  partaking 
of  food  while  thus  manifested  in  the 
presence  of  his  disciples;  and  the  trans- 
mutation of  the  food  partaken  of,  when  he 
vanished  from  their  sight,  forms  part  of 
the  revelation;  for  it  suggests  a  similar 
transmutation  of  the  physical  body  that 
was  laid  in  the  tomb.  The  specified  loca- 
tion of  ''the  linen  clothes  tying,  and  the 
napkin  that  was  wrapped  about  his  head, 
not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes,"^  indi- 
cates that  these  fell  in  their  places 
when  the  body  was  transmuted  without 
»  John  XX :  6-7. 


28  THE  RESURRECTION 

being  unswathed^ — these  details  are  sig- 
nificant. 


XV 


Phenomena  that  apparently  contradict 
the  common  experience  are  usually  deemed 
abnormal,  supernatural,  or  miraculous; 
but  to  those  who  have  witnessed  these 
things,  like  the  prophet  for  instance,  they 
stand  normal  to  an  enlarged  consciousness 
which  apprehends  them  as  a  definite  form 
of  knowledge.  By  this  means,  from  his 
own  experience  of  manifestations  from  the 
unseen,  the  apostle  Paul  was  enabled  to 
affirm  the  return  of  the  dead,  and  to  dis- 
criminate the  nature  of  their  organism 
from  that  which  is  physical.  For  revela- 
tion is  distinctly  a  form  of  knowledge 
acquired  through  preternatural  experiences 
making  known,  by  manifestation,  that 
which  the  mind  cannot  acquire  of  itself; 
but  once  known,  then  this  form  of  knowl- 

^  John  xix:  40. 


THE  RESURRECTION  29 

edge  is  no  longer  abnormal  to  that  mind; 
manifestations  from  the  unseen  are  then 
discerned  as  both  orderly  and  natural — ■ 
though  for  the  majority  of  persons  they 
appear  to  stand  wholly  unrelated  to  what 
is  commonly  designated  the  known  order 
of  nature.  Phenomena  apparently  as 
fixed  as  the  stars  in  their  orbits  may,  with 
the  progress  of  mind,  be  found  to  be  sub- 
ject to  change,  or  transfiguration,  through 
the  operation  of  newly  discovered  laws 
of  being  which  extend  the  order  of  nature 
far  into  the  unseen;  enlarging  the  appre- 
hension of  conscious  life  so  as  to  embrace 
somewhat  of  the  future  state,  as  a  means 
of  drawing  the  human  soul  onward  and 
upward  "out  of  the  earth":  this  is  what 
prophecy  affirms  and  the  new  revelations 
are  verifying. 


XVI 


While  there  is  a  spiritual,  or  supernatural, 
element    in    heavenly  revelations  forming 


30  THE  RESURRECTION 

the  basis  of  religious  belief,  the  channels 
by  which  this  is  communicated  to  man  are 
not  supernatural,  but  preternatural;  and 
as  still  of  the  order  of  nature,  whether 
of  seen  or  unseen  worlds,  they  may  be 
studied  without  prejudice,  or  superstitious 
fear.  Jesus  plainly  indicated  this  when  he 
permitted  the  apostle  Thomas  to  apply  his 
prescribed  tests  to  establish  his  belief  in 
the  reality  of  the  manifestation;  and  this 
experience  of  Thomas  may  be  considered 
as  representative  of  that  order  of  mind 
which  cannot  arrive  at  a  belief  in  immor- 
tality except  through  some  form  of  sensible 
attestation;  some  emxpirical  "sign,"  or 
"token,"  that  may  constitute  a  basis  for 
this  belief.  Thomas  declared  that  he  would 
not  believe  unless  he  could  apply  such  tests 
as  he  himself  deemed  reliable  and  satis- 
factory.' In  all  honesty  of  mind  persons 
of  this  temperamental  constitution  require 
proofs  acceptable  to  their  own  mental 
habit.  If  one  standing  so  close  to  the 
^  John  XX :  24-39. 


THE  RESURRECTION  31 

person  of  Jesus,  and  knowing  so  well  the 
character  of  the  other  witnesses,  declared 
he  could  not  accept  their  testimony  as  to 
the  fact,  it  is  not  surprising  that  there  are 
others,  the  vast  majority  in  fact,  remote  as 
to  time  and  in  their  mental  attitude,  who 
are  in  the  same  dilemma,  requiring  evi- 
dence adapted  to  their  own  limitations. 
The  demands  of  Thomas  were  not  denied, 
and  his  physical  tests  lifted  the  mani- 
festation out  of  the  region  of  mental, 
or  emotional  hallucination,  by  demon- 
strating its  objective  reality:  the  ex- 
perience is  representative  of  that  form  of 
knowledge  which  rests  on  observation  and 
experiment. 

XVII 

When  Jesus  "arose  from  the  dead"  he 
was  manifested  as  in  familiar  surroundings, 
with  his  human  affections  still  active, 
uniting  him  to  his  ** brethren"  and  to  his 
former  interests.    Let  us  look  at  this,  not 


32  THE  RESURRECTION 

as  seen  across  the  ages,  or  through  the 
speculative  mind  that  intervenes,  but 
studied,  as  it  were,  at  first  hand  by  the 
light  of  witnesses  invited  to  "handle  and 
see"^  that  it  was  indeed  the  same  Jesus 
whom  they  had  known  and  loved;  who 
expressed  his  mind  familiarly  in  the  words 
** Children,  have  ye  any  meat  ? "^  and  again, 
**Come  and  break  your  fast."^  vSacred  is 
that  bond  of  friendship  manifested  in  such 
acts,  and  the  tie  that  binds  heart  to  heart — 
it  is  divine.  How  natural  and  free  from 
all  that  is  morbid,  or  abnormal  to  the 
present  life,  were  these  manifestations  and 
spoken  words  of  the  resurrected  Jesus! 
The  conjectures  of  the  speculative  mind, 
as  to  the  condition  of  the  dead,  are  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  naturalness  of 
the  manifestation  of  the  risen  Christ 
standing  in  the  midst  of  his  followers, 
disclosing  to  their  minds  and  hearts  his 
undying  love  and  fellowship,  as  suggested 

^  Acts  x:  41.  '  John  xxi:  5. 

3  John  xxi:  12.      (R.  V.) 


THE  RESURRECTION  33 

by   the  words  "Then    were   the   disciples 
glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord."^ 

XVIII 

During  the  interval  of  the  forty  days 
Jesus  was  manifested  as  a  man;  not  as  an 
angel,  or  spirit;  that  is,  the  manifestations 
were  of  a  natural  state  of  being,  on  a 
natural  plane  of  life:  the  earth  was  with 
him  still,  his  thoughts  were  occupied  with 
the  things  of  this  life — every  act  and 
utterance  implies  this.  He  makes  but 
brief  reference  to  the  Father,  to  whom,  he 
said,  he  had  "not  yet  ascended."^  The 
teaching  of  the  resurrection  is  with  refer- 
ence to  human  interests;  the  experience 
appears  to  have  been  wholly  natural, 
rather  than  spiritual ;  and  when  he  "opened 
their  minds  to  an  understanding  of  the 
scriptures  "2  it  was  with  reference  to  the 
fact  that  the  "Christ  should  suffer,  and 

^  John  XX :  20.  ■  John  xx:  17. 

sLuke  xxiv:  45-47 
3 


34  THE  RESURRECTION 

rise  from  the  dead  on  the  third  day;  and 
that  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all 
nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem:  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost";  teaching 
them  to  observe  "all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you."'  And  again: 
"These  are  my  words  which  I  spake  unto 
you  while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all 
things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were  written 
in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets, 
and  in  the  psalms  concerning  me."^  For 
further  spiritual  teaching  than  that  already 
given  while  he  wasVith  them  in  the  earthly 
life  "he  commanded  them  that  they 
should  not  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but 
wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father;  which, 
saith  he,  ye  have  heard  of  me.  For  John 
truly  baptized  with  water,  unto  repentance ; 
but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Spirit   not   many   days   hence." ^     As   to 

'  Matt,  xxviii:  19-20.  '  Luke  xxiv:  44. 

'Acts  i:  4. 


THE  RESURRECTION  35 

their  discernment  of  spiritual  things, 
"which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own 
power,"  they  must  wait  until  "after  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon"^  them:  for, 
as  Paul  affirmed,  "spiritual  things  are 
spiritually  discerned . "  * 

XIX 

That  the  revelation  in  Jesus  is  of  univer- 
sal application  may  be  inferred  from  his 
words  to  Mary,  when  manifesting  himself 
at  the  sepulchre : — ' '  Go  to  my  brethren,  and 
say  unto  them;  I  ascend  to  my  Father, 
and  your  Father;  to  my  God,  and  your 
God." 2  He  is  their  elder  brother;  they 
are  of  one  family  of  "man";  his  spiritual 
or  divine  sonship  to  God  is  to  be  theirs  like- 
wise when  they  are  "born  of  the  Spirit. ""• 
He  joyfully  reveals  to  them  what  is  their 
common  inheritance;  what  is  common  to 
the  life  and  destiny  of  a  perfected  human- 

^  Acts  i:  7-8.  =  I  Cor.  ii:  14. 

3  John  xx:  17.  <  John  iii:  5-7. 


36  THE  RESURRECTION 

ity.  In  every  incidental  act  and  circum- 
stance of  his  manifestations  after  his  disso- 
lution there  is  a  revelation  of  truths  equally 
applicable  to  his  followers  when  they  stand 
where  he  stands,  even  to  the  transmuta- 
tion of  the  purified  physical.  In  this  light 
nothing  in  the  revelation  is  miraculous,  or 
contrary  to  established  order,  which  under 
like  circumstances  is  universal. 

When  the  course  of  human  life  is  thus 
revealed  as  projected  into  an  invisible, 
but  not  less  substantial  world,  without 
change  of  personality,  or  the  cessation  of 
human  interests,  all  this  may  be  discerned 
as  familiar,  natural,  and  reasonable,  how- 
ever startling  was  its  abrupt  disclosure 
to  the  disciples.  The  revelation  was  for 
them  and  for  all  "good  tidings  of  great 
joy";  for  death  was  seen  to  be  swallowed 
up  in  conscious  and  continuous  life.  Like 
birth,  death  was  shown  to  be  a  parturition, 
a  "dissolution"  of  the  physical  simply,  all 
else  remaining  as  before.  For  the  world 
that  is  entered   at   death  is  revealed   as 


THE  RESURRECTION  37 

related  to  the  powers  of  the  psychic  senses 
quite  as  substantially  as  the  physical 
world  is  related  to  the  physical  senses ;  the 
organic  manifestations  of  the  resurrection 
plainly  imply  this :  the  character,  including 
the  will  and  affections,  remaining  the 
same;  for  changes  in  these  respects  are 
neither  abrupt  nor  miraculous. 

XX 

It  was  the  orderliness  and  familiarity  of 
the  manifestations  of  the  resurrection,  as 
regards  all  the  constituents  of  individual 
personality,  that  occasioned  joy  in  connec- 
tion with  the  revelation  of  a  future  state. 
Were  the  manifestations  strange,  unfa- 
miliar, or  of  the  pattern  of  imaginary  con- 
ceptions standing  unrelated  to  the  present 
life,  as  commonly  fancied,  they  might  have 
inspired  peculiar  emotions,  but  not  those 
of  joy.  The  revelation  that  the  life  once 
begun  is  unending;  that  individual  iden- 
tity persists  throughout  all  outward 
changes;  that  the  present  life  is  harmoni- 


38  THE  RESURRECTION 

ously,  and  sometimes  consciously,  related 
to  the  next  world;  and  that  the  discarnate 
soul  is  still  human,  and  natural  in  its 
affections  and  life;  make  it  desirable  to 
study  this  order  of  revelation  as  reasonable 
and  profitable,  and  as  capable  of  being 
brought  to  some  extent  within  the  bounds 
of  certain  knowledge. 

XXI 

Ideas  of  the  miraculous  in  Christ's  life 
may  so  separate  his  life  from  the  life  of 
man  that  Jesus  is  parted  from  his  brethren. 
The  eye  should  not  be  blinded  by  appear- 
ances: Jesus  revealed  the  divine  order  as 
in  itself  it  really  is  for  everyone  who 
follows  in  his  footsteps  with  a  like  "faith 
in  God."'  If  the  path  trod  by  Jesus  were 
supernatural,  in  the  sense  of  miraculous — 
raised  above  human  possibiHty  by  special 
miracle — then  Jesus  could  not  serve  as  a 
pattern  for  man,  for  he  would  be  separated 

» Mark  xi:  22. 


THE  RESURRECTION  39 

from  the  human  experience.  It  is  this 
idea  of  the  miraculous  that  has  tended  to 
hide  from  view  the  real  scope  and  meaning 
of  the  manifestations  of  the  risen  Christ,  as 
a  revelation  of  truth  disclosing  the  nature 
of  the  life  to  come. 

The  manifestations,  in  addition  to  what 
has  been  shov/n,  imply  that  man,  in  the 
immediate  next  stage  of  life,  is  still  con- 
cerned with  the  completion  of  his  earthly- 
tasks,  as  witnessed  by  the  return  of  Moses 
and  Elias  in  communion  with  Jesus;  and 
by  the  risen  Christ  himself  in  his  inter- 
course with  those  whom  he  had  known  on 
earth — with  the  women  as  well  as  with  the 
eleven  disciples.  The  passage  of  the  soul 
to  a  heavenly  realm  appears  to  be  con- 
ditionally connected  with  the  completion 
of  its  earthly  responsibilities,  as  said  of 
those  who  had  gone  before: — "God  having 
provided  some  better  thing  for  us,  that 
they  without  us  should  not  be  made  per- 
fect."^ 

»  Heb.  xi:  39-40, 


40  THE  RESURRECTION 

XXII 

That  no  essential  tie  is  severed  by  death 
is  made  evident  by  the  revelation  of  the 
resurrected  Jesus.  He  manifested  himself 
first  to  the  women;  whose  intuitional  per- 
ceptions and  active  sympathy,  which  drew 
them  to  the  sepulchre,  may  have  rendered 
them  more  susceptible  to  the  influence. 
He  remembered  the  individual  characteris- 
tics of  his  disciples,  their  weaknesses  and 
infirmities  of  faith.  He  accorded  to 
Thomas  his  prescribed  tests  to  induce 
belief;  he  strove  to  establish  the  faith  of 
Peter  on  the  sure  foundation  of  love,  as  the 
root  of  the  divine  life.  His  approaches 
were  individual  and  sympathetic,  as  to 
Mary  Magdalene,  to  Thomas,  and  to 
Peter;  the  earthly  tie  remained  unbroken. 
He  supped  with  his  followers;  he  walked 
with  them  by  the  way;  he  conversed  with 
them  as  between  man  and  man;  he  came 
to  them  while  engaged  in  their  daily  toil, 
in  familiar  ways  recognizing  their  individ- 


THE  RESURRECTION  41 

ual  needs.  Though  this  conscious  inter- 
course was  at  times  but  momentary,  or  of 
the  passing  hour,  it  nevertheless  revealed, 
by  these  hints  and  suggestions,  the  per- 
sistence, in  a  future  state,  of  all  that  is 
deemed  most  precious  in  the  earthly  life,  as 
to  the  natural  affections  not  less  than  in 
spiritual  aspiration. 

XXIII 

While  the  physical  is  ceaselessly  under- 
going change,  and  the  human  organism  is 
perpetually  renewing  itself  throughout  all 
its  stages  of  growth  and  development, 
nevertheless  there  is  a  certain  apparent 
permanency  of  form  and  feature  by  which 
outward  personality  is  identified  in  the 
earthly  life.  But  the  appearance  of 
the  psychic  personality,  as  revealed  in  the 
manifestations  of  the  resurrection,  is  not 
confined  Vithin  these  limitations.  Condi- 
tioned in  a  more  sublimated  form  of 
substance  the  ''spiritual  body"^  responds 

'  I  Cor.  XV :  44. 


42  THE  RESURRECTION 

more  freely  to  the  will  and  the  mental 
moods.  The  variableness  of  the  form  of  the 
risen  Jesus  is  variously  attested  in  the 
scriptures,  and  previous  to  that  occasion 
when  he  manifested  himself  for  the  special 
benefit  of  Thomas.  That  Mary  did  not  at 
first  recognize  the  risen  Christ  at  the  sepul- 
chre, mistaking  him  for  "the  gardener,"^ 
may  have  been  due  to  the  obscurity  of 
the  early  dawn;  the  single  expression, 
*'Mary!"  awakening  within  her  heart  a 
recognition  of  the  Master.  But  to  the  two 
disciples  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Jesus  mani- 
fested himself  in  a  form  that  was  plainly 
not  recognizable,  for  it  is  said  that  he 
appeared  to  themas  *'a  stranger."  It  was 
not  till  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  when 
"the  day  was  far  spent,"  that  "their  eyes 
were  opened,  and  they  knew  him;  and  he 
vanished  out  of  their  sight. ""^  Referring 
to  this  occasion  the  scripture  says,  "He 
was  manifested  in  another  form  unto  two 
*  John  XX :  15.  ^  Luke  xxiv:  18. 


THE  resurrection;  43 

of  them,  as  they  walked,  on  their  way  into 
the  country."^  Thus  these  two  disciples, 
one  of  whom  was  an  intimate  follower  of 
Jesus,  saw  in  the  resurrected  form  of  the 
Master  nothing  to  identify  him  as  one 
whom  they  had  known  and  loved,  so  far 
as  the  external  features  of  his  person  were 
concerned.  It  was  when  their  spiritual 
perceptions  were  "opened"  that  they 
recognized  him,  then  they  recalled  how  his 
conversation  had  caused  their  hearts  to 
"burn  within  them  as  he  spake  with  them 
by  the  way."^ 

XXIV 

When,  therefore,  he  manifested  himself 
to  his  followers  with  the  intent  of  identify- 
ing himself  as  the  same  Jesus  who  had 
died  on  the  cross,  disclosing  to  them  the 
wounds  inflicted  upon  his  person,  it  is  not 
to  be  inferred  that  these  marks  were  per- 
manent in  the  resurrection  body ;  they  were 
dependent  on  his  will  and  purpose;  if  he 

»  Mark  xvi:  12.  ■  Luke  xxiv:  32. 


44  THE  RESURRECTION 

willed  his  body  to  bear  these  marks  they 
were  sensibly  present;  and  if  he  willed  the 
manifestation  of  himself  to  be  outwardly 
"in  another  form"  the  appearance  was 
directly  responsive  to  his  mood  of  mind. 
With  the  comparative  rigidity  of  a  physi- 
cally conditioned  organism,  as  known  to 
this  world,  this  seems  magical  and  per- 
haps" confusing — as  to  the  identification  of 
outward  personality.  But  it  is  not  so  to 
the  psychic  perceptions;  for  in  purely 
psychical  conditions  the  response  of  out- 
ward feature  to  the  inward  mental  mood  is 
far  more  mobile  in  reflecting  thought.  And 
this  is  one  of  the  truths  disclosed  by  the 
varied  character  of  the  manifestations  of 
the  forty  days,  revealing  a  larger  freedom 
of  the  mind  over  its  environment  by  virtue 
of  the  superior  conditions  in  which  the  soul 
rises  at  dissolution. 

XXV 

Had  there  been  an  abrupt  termination 
of  the  earthly  life  of  Jesus,  and  an  im- 


THE  RESURRECTION  45 

mediate  "ascension  into  heaven"  without 
these  manifestations  from  the  intermedi- 
ate state,  there  would  have  been  no  reve- 
lation of  human  destiny  in  the  sense  of 
bringing  to  light  the  path  of  the  soul's 
progress  in  passing  from  the  earthly  to  the 
heavenly  states  of  being — a  knowledge  of 
which  is  profitable  for  inducing  belief  in 
personal  immortality.  And  instead  of  a 
religion  based  on  the  revelation  of  "life 
and  immortality,"  the  teaching  of  the 
Christ,  had  Jesus  not  thus  manifested 
himself  from  the  unseen,  would  have  been 
simply  a  contribution  to  the  teaching  of 
the  prophets,  and  doubtless  would  have 
been  classed  as  such.  How  otherwise 
could  there  have  been  any  knowledge 
formed  of  that  heavenly  personality  desig- 
nated "the  Holy  Ghost" — which  the 
scripture  says  "was  not  yet  given,  because 
Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified"' — except  for 
the  revelation  of  that  living  personality 
which,    at   the   close   of   this   intervening 

I  John  vii :  39. 


46  THE  RESURRECTION 

period,  was  symbolically  manifested  as 
"ascending  into  heaven  when  a  cloud 
received  him  out  of  their  sight"?'  For, 
until  spiritually  discerned,  spiritual  truths 
are  conveyed  to  the  natural  mind  through 
symbols;  and  by  ascending  through  space 
Jesus  figuratively  implied  his  spiritual 
"ascension"  through  the  heavens  "to  the 
Father." 

XXVI 

That  this  spiritual  or  heavenly  person- 
ality of  the  Christ  should  receive  recogni- 
tion and  be  serviceable  to  man,  it  was 
necessary  that  Jesus  should  first  manifest 
himself  naturally  from  the  intermediate 
state;  in  order  to  demonstrate  to  the 
natural  mind  that  it  was  to  be  "this  same 
Jesus"  who  should  "so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  beheld  him  going  into 
heaven"^  when  returning  in  the  power  and 
personality  of  the  Paraclete,  or  Comforter.^ 

»  Acts  i:  9.  2  Acts  i:  li.     (R.  V.) 

3  2  Cor.  iii:  17. 


THE  RESURRECTION  47 

Manifesting  himself,  therefore,  first  in  a 
form  and  order  of  thought  with  which  his 
followers  were  already  familiar,  the  risen 
Jesus  gradually  led  them  on  to  form  a  more 
inward  and  spiritual  apprehension  of  his 
true  personality  and  unseen  presence.  How 
otherwise  could  it  have  been  known  that 
he  still  lived  and  had  them  in  his  care? 
having  "passed  into  the  heavens'*^  with  a 
full  consciousness  of  his  earthly  life,  carry- 
ing these  memories  and  affections  with 
him  into  the  Father's  unveiled  presence — 
as  figuratively  implied? 

To  repeat:  it  was  essential  for  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  heavenly  Christ,  and  of  his 
mode  of  operation — sometimes  by  personal 
manifestation  and  verbal  communion,  as 
made  to  Paul  and  John — that  his  later 
spiritual  ministrations  as  "the  Comforter'* 
should  have  been  preceded  by  the  experi- 
ence and  phenomena  of  the  resurrection 
as  reported  in  the  Gospels;  revealing  the 
persistence,  in  a  future  state,  of  the  human 

»Heb.  iv:  14. 


48  THE  RESURRECTION 

personality  of  the  Christ,  and  his  final 
ascension  into  heaven.  For  it  is  through 
that  heavenly  human  personality  of  the 
glorified  Christ,  filled  with  the  Spirit  of 
God,  that  the  Divine  Presence  is  brought  to 
the  consciousness  of  men,  enabling  them  to 
distinguish  that  spiritual  or  divine  in- 
fluence from  the  operation  of  their  own 
minds. 

XXVII 

Let  us  pause  to  consider  what  was  the 
original  attitude  of  mind  on  the  part  of 
the  disciples  toward  these  revelations  and 
manifestations  from  the  unseen.  In  the 
ordinary  sense  it  was  not  religious;  the 
disciples  were  all  Israelites  and  followed 
that  order  of  worship  and  belief.  The 
association  of  this  new  and  momentous 
experience  with  doctrinal  beliefs  was  an 
afterthought,  a  subsequent  development. 
The  disciples,  including  Jesus,  were  all 
laymen;  the  whole  experience  was  in  a 


THE  RESURRECTION  49 

sense  laic — that  is,  standing  wholly  apart 
from  temple,  priest,  or  doctrinal  beliefs. 
There  was  no  religious  authority  whatever 
associated  with  the  experience  beyond  that 
derived  from  the  sanction  of  a  spiritual 
consciousness  in  the  hearts  of  the  followers 
of  Jesus.  Institutional  religion  was  set 
against  it:  it  was  simply  a  question  of  life 
and  light  addressing  the  mind  in  a  fuller 
sense  than  had  ever  been  experienced  or 
conceived  before.  Its  subsequent  religious 
association,  as  commonly  understood,  has 
had  a  tendency  to  veil  it  in  part  with 
doctrinal  conceptions  born  of  systematic 
forms  of  thought  and  of  institutional  ideas; 
by  this  means  the  experience  gradually 
acquired  an  authoritative  status  that 
originally  was  denied  it  by  the  institu- 
tional mind. 

XXVIII 

The  prophet  necessarily  must  have  no 
other  sanction,  or  authority,  in  the  form  of 
4 


50  THE  RESURRECTION 

credential,  than  the  "power"  of  his  de- 
liverance:^ any  association  of  human  or 
ecclesiastical  authority  with  this  would 
subvert  its  dependence  on  a  divine  inspira- 
tion; this  explains  the  fact  that  the  proph- 
ets were  almost  invariably  laymen.  The 
institutional  mind,  as  such,  is  concerned 
with  maintaining  and  developing  an  institu- 
tional past;  with  reference  to  public  wor- 
ship, the  ministering  of  sacraments,  and 
the  preservation  and  interpretation  of  what 
Paul  terms  "the  oracles  of  God."^  Its 
attitude  is  naturally  hostile  toward  any 
new  form  of  revelation:^  and  this  doubtless 
is  a  reasonable  and  consistent  attitude;  not 
as  applicable  to  the  individual,  but  adapted 
to  the  maintenance  of  institutional  func- 
tions and  forms,  and  for  guarding  against 
error,  or  imposture.  Before  a  new  truth  of 
revelation  can  be  taken  up  and  incorporated 
with  institutional  religion  it  must  have 
experienced  the  test  of  time  in  its  appeal 

"^  Jeremiah  xxiii:  28,  29.  =»  Rom.  iii:  1-2. 

5  John  ix:  29. 


THE  RESURRECTION  5 1 

to  the  spiritual  consciousness.  There  is  a 
reason  therefore  why,  in  the  initial  experi- 
ences, revelation  and  conscious  communion 
with  the  unseen  should  not  be  identified 
with  human  sanctions,  or  ecclesiastical 
authority.  The  apostle  Paul  specifies 
weak  and  despised  instrumentalities  as 
divinely  chosen  for  this  purpose;  that  the 
power  may  be  known  to  be  of  God,  and 
not  of  men.^ 

XXIX 

And  with  regard  to  the  experiences 
affirming  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  this  is 
the  characteristic  of  the  original  witnesses 
— they  were  exclusively  religious  laymen, 
and  of  both  sexes;  they  were  not  of  "the 
wise  and  prudent"^  in  any  intellectual  or 
philosophical  sense.  The  initial  manifesta- 
tions of  the  risen  Christ  were  made  to  the 
women,  who  were  the  first  to  herald  his 

*  I  Cor.  i:  26-30;  2  Cor.  iv:  7. 

*  Matt,  xi:  25;  Luke  x:  21. 


52  THE  RESURRECTION 

resurrection:^  this  is  significant;  as  is  also 
the  fact  that  the  initial  manifestation  was 
to  Mary  of  Magdala;  and  not  to  the 
apostles,  or  to  the  one  who  stood  nearest 
to  Jesus. 

It  is  necessary  to  divest  the  actual 
experience  of  subsequent  overlying  concep- 
tions and  associations — to  see  it,  as  it  were, 
at  first  hand,  in  the  light  of  plain-minded 
"witnesses"  whose  report  is  wholly  free 
from  philosophical  conjecture — to  discern 
in  the  phenomena  of  the  resurrection  a 
revelation  of  truth  in  the  form  of  an  actual 
experience  on  the  plane  of  nature.  During 
the  interval  between  his  resurrection  and 
ascension  the  character  of  the  manifesta- 
tions all  indicate  that  Jesus  was  still  in  a 
natural  state  of  being ;  there  was  no  sug- 
gestion of  heavenly  things.  He  aimed  to 
impress  his  followers,  both  men  and  women, 
with  the  truth  that  he  was  not  parted  from 
them  by  dissolution.  By  his  sudden  ap- 
pearance, and  disappearance,  when  mani- 

'^  John  xx:  17,  18. 


THE  RESURRECTION  53 

festing  himself,  he  gradually  accustomed 
them  to  think  of  him  as  present,  though 
invisible;  and  by  his  words  to  Thomas, 
and  to  Peter,  as  cognizant  of  their  individ- 
ual thoughts  and  needs.  Thenceforth  his 
invisible  presence  was  not  less  real  to  them 
than  were  these  phenomenal  manifesta- 
tions. A  distinct  step  had  been  taken  by 
this  means  for  giving  substantial  reality  to 
spiritual  conceptions ;  which  otherwise  must 
be  vague,  conjectural,  and  ineffective. 

It  was  no  abstract  emotion  that  the 
risen  Jesus  sought  to  awaken  in  the  heart 
of  Peter  by  his  thrice  repeated  question 
"Lovest  thou  me?"^  but  a  concrete  love 
and  devotion  to  that  living  personality 
revealed  to  him  as  ''the  Christ  of  God." 
And  when  the  approach  was  no  longer 
from  without,  through  the  physical  sense, 
as  Paul  discerned  of  the  heavenly  Christ — 
when  "known  no  more  after  the  flesh"* 
— then  the  conception  formed  of  that  heav- 
enly and  divine  presence,  "the  Son  of  man 

^  John  xxi:  15-17.  '  2  Cor.  v:  16. 


54  THE  RESURRECTION 

in  heaven,"  passes  from  a  natural  to  a 
spiritual  order  of  discernment ;  which  is  not 
less  real,  to  say  the  least,  when  "spiritual 
things  are  spiritually  discerned."^ 

XXX 

The  phenomena  of  the  resurrection,  and 
those  which  followed  after  the  ascension  of 
Jesus,  enable  the  mind  to  mark  a  distinction 
between  the  psychical  and  the  spiritual  in 
manifestations  from  the  unseen.  By  con- 
founding psychical  with  spiritual  things 
erroneous  views  are  formed  that  engender 
misconceptions  and  superstitions.  All 
psychic  phenomena  are  essentially  organic ; 
they  pertain  to  an  order  of  nature,  whether 
of  seen  or  unseen  worlds.  They  are  there- 
fore not  in  themselves  more  sacred  than 
are  physical  phenomena;  to  the  devout 
mind  all  things  are  sacred  when  rightly 
viewed.  That  which  is  psychic,  as  to 
forces    and    phenomena,    pertains    to    an 

'  I  Cor.  ii:  14. 


THE  RESURRECTION  55 

invisible  realm,  or  world,  or  state  of  being, 
wherein  all  things  are  outwardly  condi- 
tioned in  a  form  of  substance  corresponding 
to  psychic  organisms,  or  "spiritual  bodies," 
as  Paul  terms  them;^  and  are  governed  by 
laws  that  are  preternatural,  but  not  super- 
natural. Beyond  this  order  of  nature, 
pertaining  to  a  physically-invisible  psychic 
state,  that  alone  is  spiritual  which  is 
divine.  Truly  spiritual  phenomena,  there- 
fore, are  psychic  manifestations  informed 
with  divinity  itself — such  are  the  "mani- 
festations of  the  Holy  Ghost";  and  these 
followed  after  the  ascension  of  Christ  into 
heaven. 

XXXI 

The  order,  or  form  of  revelation,  is 
equally  important  and  essential  in  all  its 
stages,  and  the  manifestations  of  the  forty 
days  cannot  be  dispensed  with  if  the  mind 
of   the   believer   would   pass   intelligently 

'  I  Cor.  XV :  44. 


56  THE  RESURRECTION 

from  the  dispensation  of  the  historic  Christ, 
to  the  ministrations  of  the  Paraclete,  or 
heavenly  Christ.^  As  in  the  creation  and 
perfecting  of  man  there  is  a  manifest  order 
impHed  in  the  words  "First  the  natural; 
afterward,  then  that  which  is  spiritual";^ 
so  do  the  manifestations  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, as  reported  in  the  Gospels,  stand  in 
relation  to  those  which  followed  after  the 
ascension  of  Jesus.  In  both  experiences 
the  phenomenal  has  its  place  in  supplying 
the  initial  impulse,  or  data,  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  spiritual  consciousness,  as  in  the 
experience  of  Paul  in  the  way.  Were  there 
no  revelation  by  manifestation  and  pro- 
phecy there  could  be  no  substantial  basis 
for  spiritual  conceptions :  and  if  this  means 
of  enlightenment  be  ruled  out  of  the  re- 
ligious consciousness  through  unbelief;  or 
relegated  wholly  to  the  past  as  miraculous ; 
or  as  merely  mythical  tradition,  or  hallu- 
cination; then  that  spiritual  development, 

^  John  vil:  39;  Hcb.  xii:  25;  2  Cor.  iii:  17. 
» I  Cor.  XV :  46. 


THE  RESURRECTION  57 

which  was  so  marked  in  the  experience  of 
the  immediate  followers  of  Christ,  must 
either  come  to  an  end,  or  forever  remain 
stationary;  notwithstanding  the  promise 
that  the  Paraclete  would  "guide  into  all 
truth  and  reveal  the  things  to  come."^ 

XXXII 

To  conclude,  therefore:  while  there  is  a 
spiritual  view  of  "resurrection,"  implying 
the  soul's  rising  "from  death  unto  life"' 
through  the  quickening  power  of  the 
Spirit,  there  is  likewise  a  natural  view,  as 
shown  in  the  Gospel  narrative,  revealing 
the  resurrection  of  the  organic  personality ; 
both  experiences  have  their  place  in  the 
revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  regards  the 
former,  the  spiritual  view,  Jesus  said,  "I 
am  the  resurrection  and  the  life;  he  that 
believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet 
shall  he  live;  and  whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  in  me  shall  never  die."^    Life  and 

^  John  xvi:  13.  ^  John  v:  24. 

3  John  xi:  25-26. 


58  THE  RESURRECTION 

death  are  herein  referred  to  as  a  subjective 
experience,  with  reference  to  the  presence 
or  absence  of  the  divine  Spirit  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  man.  This  distinction  is  Hke- 
wise  indicated  in  the  teaching  of  Paul: — 
"For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  Hfe  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God."'  The  apostle  also  refers 
to  Christ  himself  as  "Declared  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the 
Spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead."^  But  these  spiritual  concep- 
tions are  not  intended  as  a  substitute  for 
that  resurrection  of  the  organic  personality 
attested  in  the  Gospels;  they  are  super- 
added to  that  experience;  being  based 
upon  it,  by  analogy,  as  the  rising  of  the 
soul  into  a  higher  order  of  life  by  the 
quickening  power  of  the  indwelling  Spirit, 
when  the  heart  has  been  opened  to  that 
divine  influence. 

There  is  therefore  both  a  natural  and  a 
spiritual  view  of  resurrection,  and  both 
views  are  equally  true,  and  equally  adapted 

'  Col.  iii:  3.  '  Rom.  i:  4. 


THE  RESURRECTION  59 

to  human  need.  Spiritually  "  the  king- 
dom of  heaven, "  as  taught  by  Christ,  is  a 
state  of  life  wherein  the  human  is  united  to 
the  divine  through  oneness  of  will  and 
spirit — whether  in  the  earthly  life  or  in  a 
future  state.  Nevertheless  there  is  a 
heaven  of  the  angels,  a  celestial  paradise,^ 
which  is  not  less  real  and  substantial,  to 
say  the  least,  than  is  the  present  world  to 
the  natural  consciousness.  And  while,  on 
the  natural  plane,  the  words  of  Jesus,  as  to 
his  being  "lifted  up  above  the  earth,"  are 
interpreted  as  "signifying  by  what  death 
he  should  die";^  on  the  spiritual  plane 
they  have  another  and  even  deeper  signifi- 
cance, as  referring  to  the  ascension  of  the 
living  Christ  into  heaven: — Jesus  said: 
"And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  [R.  V.  marg. 
'out  of]  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto 
me."3 

He  who  died  on  the  cross  and  was  laid 
in  the  tomb,  rose  again  after  a  brief  interval, 

*  Luke  xxiii:  43.  ^  John  xii:  33. 

3  John  xii:  32. 


6o  THE  RESURRECTION 

manifesting  himself  to  his  followers.  And 
at  the  end  of  forty  days  "He  led  them  oat 
as  far  as  Bethany,"^  to  Mount  Olivet, 
which  is  near  to  Jerusalem,  a  sabbath 
day's  journey.  .  .  .  "And  while  they  be- 
held, he  was  taken  up,  and  a  cloud  received 
him  out  of  their  sight.  And  while  they 
looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he 
went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in 
shining  raiment ;  which  also  said,  Ye  men 
of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  here  gazing  up 
into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus,  who  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so 
come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him 
go  into  heaven."^ 

The  disciples,  both  men  and  women, 
were  thus  made  "witnesses"  by  manifesta- 
tions of  the  risen  and  ascended  Christ; 
attesting  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise  of 
a  Paraclete,  or  Comforter,  as  a  heavenly 
personality  with  whom  henceforth  they, 
and  all  succeeding  disciples  to  the  end  of 
the  world,  were  to  be  brought,  at  times,  in 

'  Luke  xxiv:  50-51.  *  Acts  i:  9-12, 


THE  RESURRECTION  6i 

conscious  communion;  and  in  no  other 
way  could  this  momentous  truth  have 
been  conveyed  to  the  human  mind  as  a 
reality,  than  through  this  experience  of  the 
resurrection  and  ascension  of  Jesus  as  nar- 
rated in  the  Gospels.  In  the  absence  of 
that  objective  experience  the  immortality 
of  man  must  have  remained  a  matter  of 
speculative  conjecture;  as  it  still  is  when 
viewed  in  the  light  of  philosophy,  apart 
from  a  revelation  of  the  truth. 


PART  II 

THE  COMFORTER,  OR  SPIRIT  OF 
TRUTH 


63 


THE  COMFORTER,  OR  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

Jesus  said: — "I  will  pray  the  Father  and  he  will 
give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  forever;  even  the  Spirit  of  truth:  whom  the 
world  cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not, 
neither  knoweth  him:  but  ye  know  him,  for  he 
dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you.  I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless:  I  will  come  to  you.  .  .  . 
He  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and 
I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him.  .  .  . 
These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  being  yet 
present  with  you.  But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name, 
he  will  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  to  your 
remembrance  whatsoever  things  I  have  said  unto 
you.  ...  Ye  have  heard  how  I  said  unto  you,  I 
go  away,  and  come  again  unto  you.  .  .  .  And  now 
I  have  told  you  before  it  comes  to  pass,  that  when 
it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe.  ...  It  is 
expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away;  for  if  I  go  not  away 
the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you.  ...  I  have 
yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot 
bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of 
truth,  is  come,  he  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth.  .  .  . 
He  shall  not  speak  of  himself;  but  whatsoever  he 
shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak:  and  he  will  show  you 
things  to  come.  ...  He  shall  glorify  me;  for  he 
shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you.  .  .  . 
I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  your  joy  no  man  can  take  from  you." — John 
xiv,  XV,  and  xvi. 


THE  COMFORTER,  OR  SPIRIT  OF 
TRUTH 

MANIFESTATIONS  OF  THE  COMFORTER 


Before  treating  of  the  phenomena 
designated  "manifestations  of  the  Holy- 
Ghost,"  it  may  be  well  to  recapitulate 
briefly- the  experiences  that  preceded  this 
later  revelation. 

Having  died  on  the  cross,  Jesus  rose 
again;  and  for  the  space  of  forty. days  was 
manifested,  at  intervals,  not  as  an  angel,  or 
spirit,  but  as  a  man;  that  is,  in  a  natural 
state  of  being.  His  words  (John  xx:  17) 
imply  that  he  had  "not  yet  ascended"  into 
heaven.  There  was  nothing  in  the  manifes- 
tation to  indicate  that  a  spiritual  change 
had  taken  place  through  dissolution.  He 
s  65 


66  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

rose  again  with  the  same  personality ;  with 
the  same  mind  as  to  its  interests  and  affec- 
tions; and  apparently  with  the  same  body, 
bearing  at  first  the  recognizable  marks  that 
served  to  identify  him  as  the  same  Jesus 
who  was  crucified.  In  the  earlier  manifesta- 
tions these  characteristics  were  observable, 
and  they  served  for  his  outward  identifica- 
tion. 

But  associated  with  these  familiar  fea- 
tures of  his  person  were  certain  powers 
peculiar  to  the  change  that  was  wrought 
by  death;  the  risen  Jesus  could  render  his 
person  visible  and  palpable,  or  invisible 
and  impalpable,  at  will;  while  the  form 
itself  was  variously  manifested,  according 
to  his  purpose.  He  emerged,  as  it  were, 
from  the  unseen  in  the  presence  of  witnesses, 
"the  doors  being  shut, "  and  vanished  from 
their  sight;  revealing  by  these  changes  a 
control  over  the  elements  in  which  his 
organic  personality  was  outwardly  condi- 
tioned. 

Nevertheless  tHere  was  in  the  manifesta- 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  67 

tion  no  indication  that  Jesus  had  risen, 
through  dissolution,  above  a  natural  state 
of  being;  there  was  no  radiancy,  or  "glory," 
associated  with  the  phenomena.  Con- 
trasted with  the  dazzling  splendor  of  his 
subsequent  manifestation  to  Paul  in  the 
way,  ^  or  with  the  radiancy  of  angelic  beings 
as  elsewhere  described,^  the  manifestations 
of  the  forty  days'  interval  between  his 
death  and  ascension  into  heaven  were 
earthly  in  character  and,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  physical  in  form;  preternatural, 
but  not  supernatural — not  spiritual,  as 
this  term  is  rightly  discriminated.  Jesus 
himself  directed  the  minds  of  his  disciples 
to  this  fact  when  he  said,  "Handle  me,  and 
see;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones, 
as  ye  see  me  have. ' '  ^ 

The  phenomena  of  the  resurrection  seem 
to  indicate  that  the  purpose  of  the  risen 
Christ,  during  the  interval  between  his 
death  and  his  ascension  into  heaven,  was 

» Acts  xxvi:  13,  14.  '  Rev.  i:  16. 

3  Luke  xxiv :  39. 


68  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

to  reveal,  by  his  manifestations  from 
the  unseen,  personal  immortality  and  the 
natural  conditions  of  the  after-life;  to 
disclose,  incidentally,  to  the  minds  of  his 
followers  the  substantial  reality  of  that 
invisible  intermediate  world,  or  state  of  be- 
ing, between  the  earthly  and  the  heavenly. 
During  this  period  there  were  no  further 
spiritual  teachings  given  to  his  followers; 
the  abnormal  character  of  the  manifesta- 
tion doubtless  precluded  this;  for  as  physi- 
cal manifestations  from  the  unseen  the 
phenomena  were,  strictly  speaking,  normal 
to  neither  world.  Their  purpose  has  been 
sufficiently  indicated  as  the  revelation  of  a 
state  of  being  intervening  between  dissolu- 
tion and  the  soul's  ascension  into  heaven. 


II 


We  come  now  to  the  consideration  of 
that  personality  which,  at  the  end  of  the 
forty  days,  "ascended  into  heaven." 

Existence,   as  applied  to  being,   is  in- 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  69 

separable  from  personality  of  some  kind. 
In  the  mind  of  Christ  this  is  strikingly- 
manifest  in  contradistinction  to  abstract 
ideas  that  conceive  of  the  Deity  as  an 
impersonal  "power  which  makes' for  right- 
eousness " ;  but  every  reference  Jesus  made 
to  his  "Father  in  heaven"  implied  a  per- 
sonal Being  whose  attributes  were  re- 
flected in  himself. 

The  revelation  of  the  resurrection  and 
ascension  of  Jesus  discloses  the  persistence 
of  the  human  personality  throughout  all 
worlds.  There  is  likewise  revealed  by  this 
means  a  further  distinction  of  natural  and 
spiritual  personalities,  resting  in  a  distinc- 
tion of  soul  and  spirit.  These  terms  are 
often  used  indiscriminately,  as  if  desig- 
nating a  single  fundamental  principle,  or 
essence  in  the  constitution  of  man.  But 
the  teaching  of  scripture  affirms  that  "the 
word  of  the  Lord  parteth  asunder  soul  and 
spirit":^  that  is,  the  revelation  of  a  spirit- 
ual or  divine  essence  shows  the  soul  to  be 

^  Heb.  iv:  12. 


70  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

exterior  to  this  as  a  fundamental  human 
principle. 


Ill 


Natural  and  spiritual  personalities  are 
commonly  designated  "man "  and  "angel " : 
man  is  outwardly  organized  in  physical 
conditions;  while  an  angel,  or  spirit,  is 
outwardly  organized  in  psychical  condi- 
tions; both  these  series  of  conditions, 
though  utterly  unlike,  are  "material"  in 
substance,  and  are  therefore  of  the  order 
of  nature  in  their  respective  worlds,  or 
spheres,  as  may  be  discerned  in  the  light 
of  revelation. 

It  has  been  held  by  many  that  man  was 
originally  created  a  spiritual  being,  that  he 
fell  from  that  divine  estate,  and  that  a 
spiritual  principle  slumbers  in  the  soul 
awaiting  its  reawakening  to  life.  But  a 
clearer  discernment  of  the  symbols  of 
revelation  marks  the  distinction  of  soul  and 
Spirit  as  standing  for  the  human  and  the 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  71 

divine;  and  that  the  former  is  created  with 
a  capacity  for  the  reception  of  the  divine 
when  man  is  "born  of  the  Spirit,"^  or 
"born  of  God."  For  the  process  of  crea- 
tion is  an  act  of  becoming: — *'To  as  many 
as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to 
become  the  sons  of  God";^  and  this  dis- 
tinction is  further  marked  in  the  teaching 
of  Paul  respecting  the  order  of  creation : — 
"First  the  natural;  afterward,  then  that 
which  is  spiritual;  the  first  man  is  of  the 
earth,  earthy;  the  second  man  is  from 
heaven :  and  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of 
the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of 
the  heavenly."^ 

This  distinction,  of  natural  and  spiritual 
personalities,  is  essential  to  a  proper  under- 
standing of  what  follows:  for  the  natural 
personality  is  fundamentally  psychic,  or 
human;  but  the  spiritual  personality  is 
fundamentally  spiritual,  or  divine :  even  as 
implied  when  Jesus  prayed  to  the  Father, 

'  John  iii:  2-9.  » John  i:  12-14. 

3  I  Cor.  XV :  46-49. 


72  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

when  about  to  die,  "Glorify  thou  me  with 
thine  own  self."^ 

IV 

To  mark  the  distinction  of  natural 
and  spiritual  personalities  in  the  Christ,  as 
"Son  of  man"  and  "Holy  Ghost,"  it  may 
be  well  to  recall  some  of  the  characteristics 
of  the  former.  Jesus  was  loved  as  a  teacher 
long  before  his  disciples  were  convinced 
that  he  was  their  Lord,  the  Son  of  God.^ 
He  abode  with  them  in  human  fellowship, 
"going  in  and  out  among  them"  in  daily 
intercourse.  As  friend  with  friend  one 
"leaned  upon  his  bosom  while  they  sat  at 
meat";^  he  wept  with  his  friends  who 
mourned, "*  and  opened  to  them  "the  mys- 
teries of  the  kingdom  of  heaven"^ — some- 
times in  a  phenomenal  way.^  He  taught 
his  followers  how  to  commune  with  God,^ 

^  John  xvii:  5.  "  Luke  xxii:  70-71. 

3  John  xiii:  23.  <  John  xi:  35. 

s  Matt,  xiii:  ii.  ^  Luke  ix:  28-37. 
'Matt,  vi:  7-13. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  73 

and  revealed  to  them  the  nature  of  the 
heavenly  life  by  parables  the  meaning 
of  which  they  discerned  at  a  later  day.^ 
They  felt  that  in  him  God  drew  nigh  to 
them ;  that  the  divine  was  actually  present 
in  him:  they  who  discerned  this  perceived 
in  his  words  and  acts  a  revelation  of  the 
Father.  He  was  thus  for  them  a  Comforter, 
as  to  his  natural  personality,  disclosing  to 
their  minds  and  hearts  ''the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life";^  and  when  about  to 
die,  he  said: — "I  will  pray  the  Father,  and 
he  will  give  you  another  Comforter  .  .  . 
that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever."* 


By  his  ascension  into  heaven  in  bodily 
form,  as  manifested  to  his  followers  in  a 
symbol  at  the  end  of  the  forty  days,  Jesus 
disclosed  to  their  minds  the  truth  that 
even  in  that  final,  or  celestial  state,  the 
human  invests  the  divine  in  the  form  of  a 

^  Matt.  xiii.  '  John  xiv:  6. 

3  John  xiv:  16-18. 


74  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

Spiritual  personality, otherwise  unknowable 
had  it  not  been  thus  manifested ;  from  this 
the  inference  may  be  drawn  that  there  is, 
in  that  celestial  state,  a  corresponding 
outward  environment  transcendent  to 
earthly  conceptions  yet  nevertheless 
capable  of  being  spiritually  discerned — as 
affirmed  by  Paul.'  With  reference  to  his 
heavenly  manifestations  Jesus  said,  "The 
Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his  own  glory, 
and  in  his  Father's";^  that  is,  the  manifes- 
tation will  be  both  psychic  and  spiritual, 
both  human  and  divine.  For  a  manifesta- 
tion of  the  divine  Spirit,  "whom  no  man 
hath  seen,  nor  can  see,"^  is  impossible  of 
apprehension  by  the  earthly  mind  except 
through  this  psychic  means,  "the  Son  of 
man  in  heaven";  and  this  also  is  implied 
in  the  words:  "No  man  hath  seen  God 
at  any  time:  the  only  begotten  Son  .  .  . 
he  hath  revealed  him."^ 

^  2  Cor.  xii:  2-4;  i  Cor.  ii:  9-10. 

^  Luke  ix:  26.  3  j  Tim.  vi:  16. 

4  John  i:  iS. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  75 

VI 

The  heavenly  manifestations  of  the 
Christ  differ  from  the  manifestations  of  the 
"forty  days"  inasmuch  as  their  outward 
form  is  psychic,  never  addressing  the  phy- 
sical sense:  that  is,  when  the  manifesta- 
tion is  personal.  But  there  are  varieties  of 
phenomena,  originally  classed  as  "mani- 
festations of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  which 
proceed  from  a  heavenl}^  source  through  out- 
ward instrumentalities  that  are  cognizable 
by  the  physical  sense;  but  these  are  not 
personal,  they  are  "signs"  and  "tokens" 
of  spiritual  things;  of  such  a  nature  were 
the  initial  phenomena  by  that  means,  as 
thus  described: — "And  when  the  day  of 
Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all 
with  one  accord  in  one  place.  And 
suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven, 
as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled 
all  the  house  where  the}^  were  sitting.  And 
there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  of 
flame,  like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  each  of 


76  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

them.  And  they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other 
tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utter- 
ance."^ 

VII 

It  is  noticeable  in  the  scriptures  that  all 
reference  to  "manifestations  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  as  distinguished  from  spiritual 
communion  in  the  heart  and  in  the  con- 
science, is  associated  with  phenomena 
capable  of  being  sensibly  cognized;  either 
as  an  instrumentality,  or  by  its  outward 
effects;  the  following  may  serve  for  illus- 
tration:— "Now  when  the  apostles  which 
were  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  Samaria  had 
received  the  word  of  God  they  sent  unto 
them  Peter  and  John ;  who,  when  they  were 
come  down,  prayed  with  them,  that 
they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  (for  as 
yet  he  was  fallen  upon  none  of  them;  only 
they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus).     Then  they  laid  their  hands  on 

^  Acts  ii:  1-5. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  77 

them,  and  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost  "^ 
— elsewhere  indicated  by  "speaking  with 
tongues,  and  prophesy ings." 

This  implies  something  superadded  to 
their  reception  of  "the  word  of  God," 
which  is  spiritual;  something  addressing 
the  outer  consciousness,  even  as  its  com- 
munication was  outward — through  "the 
laying  on  of  hands."  The  declaration  that 
thereupon  "they  received  the  Holy  Ghost" 
was  grounded  in  some  sensible  form  of 
evidence  apparent  to  the  observers.^  A 
purely  spiritual  influence  is  not  thus 
manifested,  but  is  a  matter  of  the  inward 
experience.  What  these  believers  received 
by  these  means  was  something  added, 
ab  extra,  to  what  may  be  conceived  as  purely 
spiritual;  for  the  latter  is  not  tactually 
conveyable,  but  concerns  the  heart  of  the 
believer — as  distinguished  b}^  Paul  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  ist  Corinthians,  1-4. 
This  tactual  means  is  for  the  conveyance 

^  Acts  viii:  14-18. 

'  Acts  viii:  18-19,  and  x:  44-47. 


78  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

of  psychic  "power"  as  a  channel  for  the 
spiritual;  and  is  commonly  employed  in 
the  earlier  stages  of  this  intercourse,  among 
mystics,  as  an  initial  act  when  two  or  three 
are  met  together  for  this  communion. 

VIII 

What  originally  was  designated  "the 
power,"  in  modern  terms  has  been  variously 
designated  magnetism,  mesmerism,  hypno- 
tism, etc. — which  terms  explain  nothing, 
but  serve  merely  to  indicate  various  out- 
ward phases  of  a  psychic  force,  not  in  the 
least  degree  spiritual.  There  is  a  distinc- 
tion to  be  noted,  however,  in  the  study  of 
these  psychic  phenomena,  as  to  whether 
they  are  regarded  simply  as  abnormal 
forces  or  effects ;  or ,  in  their  higher  forms,  as 
a  means  susceptible  of  being  developed  as 
an  instrumentality  for  conscious  commun- 
ion with  the  unseen.  This  distinction  was 
clearly  indicated  by  Paul,  in  discriminating 
"spiritual   gifts,"   when   he  said  that   he 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  79 

would  "rather  speak  five  words  with  the 
understanding,  than  ten  thousand  words 
in  a  tongue.  .  .  .  Tongues,"  he  said, 
"are  for  a  sign,  not  to  them  which  believe, 
but  to  them  that  believe  not ;  but  prophesy- 
ing serveth  not  for  them  that  believe  not, 
but  for  them  which  believe."^  The  apostle 
eventually  discerned  the  various  nature  of 
these  psychic  phenomena  as  instrumentali- 
ties ;  as  a  possible  channel  for  higher  things ; 
and  among  his  followers  he  undertook  to 
regulate  their  service  in  the  light  of  reason, 
as  a  means  for  "revelations"  and  spiritual 
teachings  designated  ' '  prophesyings ' ' ; 
emanating  from  the  unseen  through  con- 
scious communion. 


IX 


It  may  be  well  to  define,  in  the  light  of 
the  later  revelation,  what  is  the  significance 
of  "prophecy";  as  there  is  a  distinction 
to  be  noted  in  the  scriptural  uses  of  this 

*  I  Cor.  xiv:  19-22. 


8o  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

term.  Prophecy,  in  the  sense  of  prediction, 
is  but  incidental  to  its  larger  meaning  as 
inspirational  teachings  from  a  heavenly 
source,  often  verbally  communicated.  In 
the  Old  Testament  the  prediction  of 
events  by  prophecy  was  with  reference  to 
their  fulfillment  in  time;  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment the  promised  revelation  of  "the 
things  to  come,"  the  function  of  the  Com- 
forter, is  strictly  with  reference  to  the 
spiritual  life,  or  "kingdom  of  Heaven." 
Prophesyings,  therefore,  are  inspirational 
teachings  by  a  conscious  means  of  inter- 
course with  the  unseen,  designated  in  the 
Apostles*  Creed  "the  communion  of 
saints" — the  spiritual-minded  who  have 
passed  into  the  heavens.  Through  this 
order  of  communion,  when  under  a  heav- 
enly inspiration,  the  spiritual  consciousness 
is  specifically  enlightened,  according  to  the 
promise  of  Jesus  concerning  the  Comforter ; 
namely,  that  "He  will  guide  into  all  truth 
and  reveal  the  things  to  come";^  for  these 
^  John  xvi:  13. 


THE  SPIRIT  OP  TRUTH  Bt 

communings,  when  proceeding  from  a 
heavenly  source,  are  all  under  that  minis- 
tration.   • 


A  spiritual  consciousness  is  not  developed 
arbitrarily,  or  miraculously;  it  is  a  matter 
of  gradual  enlightenment;  and  is  greatly 
aided  by  this  conscious  spiritual  commun- 
ion and  the  study  of  the  scriptures:  for  as 
enlightenment  on  the  natural  plane  is 
dependent  on  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
so  is  spiritual  enlightenment  dependent  on 
revelation  and  prophecy,  as  supplying 
the  data  for  this  development,  especially 
in  its  initial  stages;  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  implies  this  necessity,  *  *  That  they 
might  have  life,  and  have  it  more  abun- 
dantly."^ 

While  discriminating  herein  the  phe- 
nomenal side  of  revelation  and  prophecy — 
disclosed    by    manifestations    bringing    to 

^  I  John  x:  lo. 
6 


82  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

light  by  an  external  means,  designated 
"power,"  that  which  could  not  otherwise 
have  been  known  except  it  were  thus  re- 
vealed— these  instrumentalities  are  never- 
theless all  clearly  distinguishable,  even  in 
their  higher  forms,  from  that  purely 
spiritual  communion  which  follows  when, 
as  the  scripture  says,  "God  sends  forth 
the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  3^our  hearts,  crying 
Abba,  Father."^  For  there  is  then  im- 
parted to  the  human  soul  that  "gift  of  the 
Spirit"  which  establishes  in  the  heart  of 
the  believer  a  direct  spiritual  relationship 
and  communion  between  the  human  and 
the  divine.  But  until  this  "day-star" 
arises  in  the  heart,  it  is  said  that  there  is 
"a  sure  word  of  prophecy,  of  which  it  is 
well  to  take  heed,  as  a  light  that  shineth  in 
a  dark  place,  until  the  day  dawn,"^  other- 
wise there  is  little  to  build  upon  for  the 
development  of  a  spiritual  consciousness. 

'  Gal.  iv:  6.  '  2  Peter  i:  19. 


THE  SPIRIT  OP  TRUTH  83 

XI 

The  scriptures  indicate  that  there  are 
aids  and  instrumentab'ties  available,  under 
the  dispensation  of  the  heavenly  Christ, 
that  tend  directly  toward  this  spiritual 
enlightenment  when  rightly  used;  not  as 
ends  in  themselves,  but  as  a  means,  or 
channel  for  conscious  heavenly  commun- 
ion: such  were  those  phenomena  originally 
designated  " prophesyings "  and  "manifes- 
tations of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  of  which  the 
following  example  is  given:  When  Paul 
came  to  Ephesus  he  found  there  a  group  of 
disciples  of  John  the  Baptist,  to  whom  he 
said,  "Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
since  ye  believed?  And  they  answered 
him,  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard  whether 
there  be  any  Holy  Ghost.  .  .  .  And  when 
Paul  laid  his  hands  on  them,  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  on  them,  and  they  spake  with 
tongues,  and  prophesied." » 

Here  was  added  to  that  ethical  teaching 

'  Acts  xix:  1-7. 


84  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

received  from  John,  including,  doubtless,  a 
knowledge  of  the  historic  Christ,  something 
of  which  these  believers  were  hitherto  in 
ignorance;  something  apparently  com- 
municable by  the  touch,  irrespective  of  any 
change  of  heart;  disclosing  some  unseen 
agency,  or  ''power,"  that  was  recognizable 
by  its  outward  effects,  and  discerned  as 
available  for  conscious  communion  with 
the  unseen  through  "prophesyings."  The 
laying  on  of  hands  for  communicating 
"the  power"  was  followed  by  some  form 
of  sensible  phenomena,  which  the  apostle 
eventually  discerned  as  susceptible  of 
development;  passing  from  an  outward,  to 
a  more  inward  form  of  manifestation: 
''Forasmuch  as  ye  are  zealous  of  spiritual 
gifts,"  he  says,  "seek  that  ye  may  excel  to 
the  edifying  of  the  church."  Paul  advised 
that  if  one  possessed  an  elementary  gift, 
as  of  "tongues,  let  him  pray  that  he  may 
interpret,  that  the  understanding  may  be 
fruitful."  And  in  furtherance  of  this  end, 
he  adds,  "When  ye  assemble  together,  if 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  85 

all  speak  with  tongues,  and  there  come  in 
men  unlearned  [in  the  mystery],  or  un- 
believing, will  they  not  say  that  ye  are 
mad?  But  if  ye  prophesy  and  there  come 
in  an  unbeliever,  or  one  ignorant  [of  these 
things],  he  is  reproved,  he  is  judged;  the 
secrets  of  his  heart  are  made  known. "^ 

XII 

It  is  needless  to  specify  what  this  signifies 
in  the  light  of  the  modern  experience  of 
these  psychic  gifts,  of  which  the  above 
gives  an  accurate  description,  tempered 
with  a  wise  discrimination.  Paul  clearly 
indicates  that  the  gift  was  susceptible  of 
development;  passing  from  a  lower,  or 
elementary  psychic  stage,  to  that  of  a 
higher,  or  spiritual  form  of  intelligence — 
*^to  the  edifying  of  the  church." 

A  careful  study  of  these  phenomena,  and 
of  Paul's  attitude  of  mind  toward  them, 

^  I  Cor.  xiv.  The  chapter  is  largely  concerned 
with  the  instrumentalities  of  revelation  and  proph- 
ecy. 


86  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

will  show  them  to  be  a  means  of  conscious 
communion  with  the  unseen;  whereby  not 
only  "the  secrets  of  the  heart  are  made 
known,"  but  in  their  higher  forms  they  may 
become,  as  implied  in  the  scriptures,  the 
channel  of  conscious  heavenly  communion. 

But  before  passing  on  to  the  higher 
forms  it  will  be  well  to  discriminate  further 
the  elementary  psychic  stage  of  these  gifts ; 
not  only  of  "tongues" — which  are  often 
incoherent,  though  sometimes  actual  speech 
in  a  language  unknown  to  the  one  giving 
utterance  to  it — but  a  still  more  elementary 
form  of  phenomena  is  mentioned  by  Paul, 
as  "things  without  life  giving  forth 
sounds";^  which  the  apostle  regarded  as 
wholly  unprofitable.  And  yet  he  recognizes 
that  these  elementary  phenomena  belong 
to  the  initial  stage  of  a  channel  of  conscious 
psychic  intercourse  with  the  unseen,  dis- 
tinguished only  by  the  uses  made  of  it: 
something  not  to  be  accorded  any  sacred- 
ness   in   itself,   save   when   employed   for 

'  I  Cor.  xiv:  7. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  ^7 

Spiritual,  or  divine,  communion  in  response 
to  the  highest  and  purest' aspirations  of  the 
human  heart. 

XIII 

For  it  is  plainly  implied  in  the  scriptures 
that  this  same  instrumentality,  which  may 
be  divinely  used,  is  alike  available  for  a 
trifling,  or  unprofitable,  intercourse  with 
the  unseen,  when  its  possible  higher  service 
is  not  discerned;  and  St.  John  advises  those 
believers  who  would  avail  themselves  of 
this  means  of  communion,  to  "try  the 
spirits,"^  suggesting  a  certain  test  for 
determining  whether  they  be  "of  God" — 
that  is,  spiritual-minded — otherwise  they 
are  "false  prophets."  Whatever  be  its 
claim  therefore,  the  product  of  such  inter- 
course should  be  judged  solely  by  its  in- 
trinsic character  and  inward  spirit,  for 
determining  its  true  source  and  merit;  as 
when  Paul  says,  ''Know  ye  not  that  we 
shall  judge  angels?"^    In  short,  the  product 

'  I  John  iv:  i.  5  i  Cor.  vi:  3. 


88  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  ^ 

should  be  discriminated  by  that  same 
enlightened  judgment  which  determined 
what  was  spiritually  inspired,  from  what 
was  apocryphal,  in  forming  the  canon  of 
New  Testament  scriptures. 

XIV 

A  growing  intelligence  in  the  light  of  the 
modern  experience  of  these  gifts,  discerning 
their  lower  and  higher  service,  will  result 
in  their  proper  discrimination,  distinguish- 
ing clearly  the  psychical  from  the  spiritual. 
Paul  refers  to  *  *  the  abundance  of  the  revela- 
tions"^ that  were  given  him,  and.  to  the 
variety  of  his  "gifts" — in  reply  to  those 
who  regarded  these  things  as  the  credentials 
of  apostleship;  but  he  himself  did  not  so 
regard  them;  the  " sanctification  of  the 
Spirit"^  was  his  sole  credential  of  authority 
for  his  teaching,  and  it  is  the  only  real 
authority  in  the  religious  life.  Whatever 
came    to    the    apostle    by    these    psychic 

^  2  Cor.  xii:  7.  ^  Thes.  ii:  13. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  89 

instrumentalities  he  endeavored  to  inter- 
pret in  terms  that  would  address  the  under- 
standing and  assist  in  the  development  of 
a  spiritual  consciousness;  if  they  failed  in 
this  they  were  as  nothing.  He  clearly 
distinguishes  these  psychic  gifts,  even  in 
their  higher  forms,  from  that  "fruit  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith, 
meekness,  temperance"^ — for  these  are 
*' manifestations  of  the  Spirit"  indeed. 

But  originally,  for  designating  these 
preternatural  experiences,  the  term  **  mani- 
festations of  the  Holy  Ghost"  was  some- 
times applied  indiscriminately  to  a  variety 
of  psychic  phenomena  which  had  the 
appearance  of  being  supernatural,  or  mirac- 
ulous; and  while  Sts.  Paul  and  John  even- 
tually were  able  to  distinguish  their  various 
sources,  it  is  for  the  growing  intelligence  of 
man  to  discriminate  these  still  further  in 
the  light  of  the  modern  experience. 

»  Gal.  v:  22-23. 


90  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

XV  _ 

For  a  clearer  discernment  of  the  true 
nature  of  these  various  instrumentaHties, 
serving  as  a  channel  for  revelation  and 
prophecy,  it  may  be  well,  before  passing 
on  to  the  consideration  of  their  higher 
phenomenal  phases,  to  refer  briefly  to  some 
other  subordinate  forms,  as  hinted  in  the 
scriptures.  In  The  Acts  is  given  an  example 
of  an  obsession  by  this  means;  indicating 
the  influence  of  a  foolish,  rather  than  evil- 
disposed  spirit ;  whose  persistent  reiteration, 
*' continued  for  many  days,"^  annoyed,  or 
*' troubled"  Paul;  who  was  doubtless  un- 
certain how  he  should  deal  with  a  spirit 
affirming  the  truth,  though  unwisely;  but 
eventually  he  released  the  maid  from  its 
influence.  Later  on,  this  apostle  discerned 
that  "the  spirits  of  the  prophets  are  sub- 
ject to  the  prophets  ";''  that  is,  they  do  not 
take  arbitrary  possession,  but  respect  the 
minds  of  those  with  whom  they  are  in 

*  Acts  xiv:  16-19.     (R.  V.)        ^  i  Cor.  xiv:  32. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  91 

association,  aiding  and  working  in  unison 

with  them. 

Another  distinction  is  marked  in  the 
following: — In  his  journey  into  Asia,  Paul 
was  delayed  at  Tyre ; ' '  and  finding  disciples 
he  tarried  there  seven  days,  who  said  to 
Paul  through  the  Spirit  that  he  should  not 
go  up  to  Jerusalem.'"  It  is  important,  in 
this  case,  to  discern  whether  the  term 
"Spirit,"  as  printed  in  the  text,  is  rightly 
or  wrongly  capitalized ;  whether  it  refers  to 
the  Holy  Spirit,  or  whether  it  designates 
some  inferior  spirit;  that  it  was  the  latter, 
in  this  case,  is  implied  by  Paul's  disregard 
of  the  injunction;  for  by  this  time  the 
apostle  was  able  to  distinguish  communi- 
cations by  this  means  as  of  various  charac- 
ter, emanating  from  divers  sources;  and 
he  refused  to  yield  his  judgment  to  their 
dictation.  He  therefore  gave  no  heed  to 
the  command,  obeying  by  preference  the 
dictate  of  his  own  conscience.  In  short, 
Paul  was  able  to  distinguish  between   the 

=  Ac'-s  xxi:  4-15. 


92  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

Spirit  that  prompted  him  to  go  to  Jeru- 
salem, ^  and  the  spirit  communing  through 
these  Tyrian  disciples  which  commanded 
him  not  to  go.  Another  similar  instance 
is  given  in  his  meeting  with  "a  certain 
prophet  named  Agabus,"^  who  foretold 
what  should  befall  him  at  Jerusalem. 

XVI 

Other  phases  of  "the  power,"  often 
communicable  by  the  touch,  were  con- 
spicuous in  the  cures  effected  by  Jesus: 
one  who  secretly  touched  him  "with  faith 
to  be  healed"  by  that  means,  withdrew 
from  him  some  force,  or  "virtue,  "^  capable 
of  producing  marked  physical  effects. 
Sometimes  this  was  communicated  by  the 
fixed  attention  of  the  eye,  reinforced  by  a 
command;  as  in  the  case  of  the  healing  of 
a  deformed  person  by  Peter  and  John: 
"Peter,  fastening  his  eyes  on  him,  with 
John,    said.    Look    on  us!  .  .  .      In    the 

^  Gal.  ii:  1-2.  "  Acts  xxi:  10-13. 

3  Mark  v:  30. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  93 

name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  rise  up  and 
walk.  And  he  took  him  by  the  right  hand, 
and  lifted  him  up:  and  immediately  his 
feet  and  ankle  bones  received  strength. 
And  he  leaping  up  stood,  and  walked,  and 
entered  with  them  into  the  temple,  walking, 
and  leaping,  and  praising  God."^ 

This  steadfastly  looking  at  the  person 
to  be  healed,  and  directing  him  to  look  on 
them,  and  taking  him  by  the  hand,  estab- 
lished conditions  for  the  magnetic  force 
and  spiritual  will-power,  exercised  in  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  to  operate  in  as  a  healing 
means  through  faith.  The  same  instru- 
mentality is  indicated  in  another  curing  of 
a  cripple:  ''Paul,  fastening  his  eyes  on 
him,  and  seeing  that  he  had  faith  to  be 
made  whole,  said  in  a  loud  voice.  Stand 
upright  on  thy  feet!  And  he  leaped  up, 
and  walked. ' '  ^  The  loud  voice  of  command 
is  often  specified  in  such  cases,  as  in  the 
raising  of  Lazarus.^     It  is  said  of  Paul 

^  Acts  iii:  4-9.  ^  Acts  xiv:  9-1 1. 

3  John  xi:  43. 


94  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

himself,  after  he  had  been  stoned,  "The 
people  supposing  him  to  be  dead,  drew 
him  out  of  the  city.  Howbeit,  as  the 
disciples  stood  round  about  him,  he  rose 
up,  and  came  into  the  city."^  This  stand- 
ing about  the  person  to  be  healed,  and  the 
union  of  the  wills  of  all  in  prayer,  as  a 
means  of  drawing  down  "power"  from 
above,  is  commonly  reported  of  faith-cures 
in  all  ages.  That  this  power  is  available  in 
like  conditions,  when  reinforced  by  a  will 
that  is  free  from  doubt  and  united  to  higher 
powers,  is  implied  in  the  teaching"of  Jesus: 
"He that believeth  on  me,  the  works  that  I 
do,  shall  he  do  also."^ 

While  this  faith  was  still  fervid,  though 
"but  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, "^  the 
immediate  followers  of  Jesus  likewise 
exercised  the  same  powers ;  but  when  even- 
tually faith  became  an  historic  tradition, 
a  merely  doctrinal  or  dogmatic  form  of 
teaching  and  belief,  it  lost  its  virtue:  for 

^  Acts  xiv:  19-20.  "John  xiv:  12. 

sMatt.  xvii:  20. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  95 

its  efficacy  lies  in  a  "faith  in  God"^  that 
is  individual  and  personal,  like  the  faith 
of  Jesus.  Like  conditions  are  requisite  for 
the  exercise  of  like  powers;  and  in  the 
spiritual  world,  not  less  than  in  the  natural 
world,  these  conditions  are  imperative. 

Having  indicated  some  of  the  varieties 
of  the  means,  or  instrumentalities,  included 
in  manifestations  of  ' '  the  power, ' '  it  re- 
mains to  consider  that  which  is  more 
distinctly  spiritual  and  personal  in  this 
conscious  intercourse  with  the  unseen 
through  "manifestations  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

xvii] 

Conscious  verbal  communion  with  the 
heavenly  Christ  is  implied  in  certain 
passages  in  The  Acts,  as  in  the  following: — 
"As  they  ministered  to  the  Lord,  and 
fasted,  the  Holy  Ghost  said,  Separate  me 
Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto 
I  have  called  them."^     This  indicates  an 

*  Mark  xi:  22-23.  '  Acts  xiii:  2. 


96  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

expression  of  the  will  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by 
a  direct  verbal  communication,  and  not 
merely  by  subconsciously  illumining  the 
minds  of  the  disciples.  A  similar  order  of 
verbal  communication  is  implied  by  the 
words  used  in  the  letter  of  the  apostles  and 
elders,  commending  Paul  and  Barnabas  to 
the  brethren  at  Antioch  and  elsewhere — 
"For  it  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden 
than  these  necessary  things,"^  etc.  This 
manner  of  speaking  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as 
having  given  a  conscious  expression  of 
opinion  apart  from  the  minds  of  the 
apostles — as  of  two  that  agreed — is  sig- 
nificant; for  such  words  could  never  have 
been  used  had  the  manifestation  been  a 
subjective  blending  of  two  minds  as  one 
through  a  purely  spiritual  influence;  the 
words  plainly  imply  an  outward  commun- 
ion of  thought  by  some  conscious  means, 
through  which  the  mind  of  the  Paraclete 
was  verbally  expressed.  (See  Acts  xvi :  6-7, 
» Acts  XV :  28. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  97 

R.  v.,  which  identifies  the  Holy  Ghost  with 
"the  Spirit  of  Jesus.") 

XVIII 

Again,  Paul  narrates  the  following: — 
**And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  I  had 
returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  while  I  prayed 
in  the  temple,  I  fell  into  a  trance,  and  saw 
him,  saying  unto  me.  Make  haste,  and  get 
thee  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem :  because  they 
will  not  receive  thy  testimony  concerning 
me.  And  I  said,  Lord,  they  themselves 
know  that  I  imprisoned  and  beat  in  every 
synagogue  them  that  believed  on  thee.  .  .  . 
And  he  said  unto  me,  Depart:  for  I  will 
send  thee  forth  far  hence  unto  the 
Gentiles."^  And  again:  they  brought 
**Paul,  a  prisoner,  into  the  castle.  And 
the  night  following  the  Lord  stood  by  him, 
and  said.  Be  of  good  cheer:  for  as  thou 
hast  testified  concerning  me  at  Jerusalem, 
so  must  thou  bear  witness  also  at  Rome."* 

'  Acts  xxii:  17-21.     (R.  V.)         'Acts  xxiii:  11. 
7 


98  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

Elsewhere  Paul  affirms :  * '  The  Holy  Ghost 
testifieth  unto  me  in  every  city,  saying  that 
bonds  and  afflictions  await  me"^ — here 
again,  however,  it  is  questionable  whether 
the  term  "Holy  Ghost"  is  correctly  ap- 
plied. 

Again,  the  following  is  recorded  of  this 
apostle: — "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Paul  in 
the  night,  by  a  vision,  Be  not  afraid,  but 
speak,  and  hold  not  thy  peace;  for  I  am 
with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  set  on  thee  to 
harm  thee:  for  I  have  much  people  in  this 
city."^  While  of  his  first  experience  of 
this  conscious  visitation  of  the  heavenly 
Christ,  the  manifestation  being  dazzling 
"beyond  the  brightness  of  the  sun  at 
noonday,"  the  apostle  says: — "I  heard 
a  voice  speaking  unto  me,  and  saying 
in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  Saul,  Saul, 
why  persecutest  thou  me?  it  is  hard  for 
thee  to  kick  against  the  goad.  And  I 
said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord?  And  he 
said,  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest. 

*  Acts  xx:  23.     (R.  V.)  ^  Acts  xviii:  9-10. 


THE  SPIRIT  OP  TRUTH  99 

But  rise  up,  and  stand  upon  thy  feet: 
for  to  this  end  have  I  appeared  unto 
thee,  to  appoint  thee  a  minister  and  a 
witness  both  of  the  things  wherein  thou 
hast  seen  me,  and  of  the  things  wherein 
I  will  appear  unto  thee;  delivering  thee 
from  the  people,  and  from  the  Gentiles, 
unto  whom  I  send  thee,  to  open  their 
eyes  that  they  may  turn  from  darkness 
to  light,  "^  etc.  There  are  other  im- 
plied verbal  communications  from  the 
same  source:  as,  for  example,  when  the 
institution  of  the  Eucharist,  as  Paul 
affirmed,  was  imparted  to  this  apostle,  and 
with  greater  fullness  than  is  given  in  the 
Gospels  :'^  and  on  another  occasion,  when 
significant  hints  were  given  in  reply  to 
Paul's  request  for  the  removal  of  "a 
thorn  in  the  flesh;  to  which  the  Lord 
gave  answer.  My  grace  is  sufficient  for 
thee;  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness."^ 

^  Acts  xxvi:  12-19.  ^  I  Cor.  xi:  23-29. 

3  2  Cor.  xii:  7-10. 


100  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

XIX 

These  examples  of  verbal  communion 
are  quoted  at  some  length  in  illustration  of 
their  varied  character,  and  of  their  inti- 
mate, personal,  and  specific  significance 
with  reference  to  Paul's  actions  and 
thoughts;  even  to  his  personal  request, 
during  the  manifestation,  for  the  removal 
of  a  physical  infirmity.  They  are  not  such 
expressions  as  the  imagination  would  have 
been  likely  to  associate  with  a  heavenly 
manifestation — as  for  instance  the  implied 
image  of  the  ox  driven  by  a  goad:  they 
hold,  in  fact,  that  internal  evidence  of 
truth  which  is  seldom,  or  never,  according 
to  human  anticipations,  or  imagined  con- 
ceptions. 

The  ministrations  of  the  heavenly  Christ 
are  revealed  in  these  experiences  as  both 
psychic  and  spiritual,  as  both  human  and 
divine;  and  he  is  designated  a  "Comforter'* 
because  he  approaches  his  followers  Soul 
to  soul,  as  well  as  Spirit  to  spirit ;  humanly 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  loi 

as  well  as  divinely,  having  passed  into  the 
heavens  touched  with  the  feeling  of  human 
infirmities/ 

The  initial  signs,  as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, were  preliminary  to  a  more  spiritual 
and  personal  form  of  manifestation  to  the 
individual  consciousness;  as  experienced 
by  Stephen  in  the  moment  of  his  martyr- 
dom;^ by  Paul  in  the  way;^  by  John  at 
Patmos;"*  and  by  Francis  of  Assisi  and 
others ;  these  were  visible  and  audible  alone 
to  the  psychic  senses  of  the  individuals 
referred  to.  Purely  spiritual  manifesta- 
tion, as  in  the  Beatific  Vision,  is  Spirit  to 
spirit ;  by  a  transcendent  means  of  approach 
that  is  only  possible  in  the  spiritual  con- 
sciousness when  the  soul  is  "caught  up," 
or  temporarily  freed  from  the  veil  of  the 
flesh  in  a  state  of  trance — as  when  Paul 
afiirms  he  was  "caught  up  into  the  third 
heaven  and  heard  unspeakable  words, 
impossible  to  utter." 

'  Heb.  iv:  15.  *  Acts  viii:  56. 

3  Acts  ix:  3-6-  <Rev.  i:i. 


I02  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

XX 

Manifestations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are 
designated  in  the  scriptures  "a  joy  and 
comfort  to  them  which  believe";^  because 
they  make  conscious  to  the  soul  what 
hitherto  was  subconscious;  and  "they  are 
given  to  profit  withal";^  that  is,  to  refresh 
the  heart  and  renew  and  strengthen 
heavenly  aspirations.  They  demonstrate 
to  the  spiritual  consciousness  the  reality 
of  the  unseen,  and  give  to  faith  and  hope 
the  assurance  of  substantial  realization  in 
fulfillment  of  the  promise  that  *'He  will 
guide  into  all  truth  and  reveal  the  things  to 
come." 

The  pains  taken  by  Jesus,  in  the  mani- 
festations of  the  resurrection^and  ascension, 
to  reveal  the  persistence  of  the  human 
personality  in  the  intermediate  and  heav- 
enly states,  is  significant;  for  it  is  through 
this  personality,  "himself  man, "^  that  a 

^  Acts  ix:  31;  Rom.  xiv:  17. 

» I  Cor.  xii:  7.  ^  i  Tim.  ii  :  5  (R.  V.). 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  103 

means,  or  ''mediator,"  is  provided  for 
making  conscious  to  his  followers,  at  times, 
that  which  otherwise  could  not  be  known 
except  it  were  thus  manifested.  For  a 
revelation  by  manifestation  enables  the 
mind  to  grasp  spiritual  things  as  realities 
addressing  the  understanding;  and  quali- 
fies it  to  distinguish  this  personal  means, 
through  the  ministry  of  the  Comforter — • 
including  the  subordinate  instrumentalities 
of  **  angels  [messengers]  and  minister- 
ing spirits" — from  that  otherwise  subcon- 
scious Spirit  of  the  Father,  which  cannot 
be  known  until  spiritually  discerned.  As 
preparatory  to  this,  for  gradually  implant- 
ing in  them  a  spiritual  consciousness,  the 
followers  of  Christ  were  first  approached, 
as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  through  an 
outward  psychic  means  that  arrested  atten- 
tion and  addressed  the  outward  under- 
standing. This  was  also  the  experience  of 
Paul  in  the  way,  while  persecuting  the 
followers  of  Jesus;  and  of  Francis  of  Assisi 
while  still  leading  a  profligate  life.      This 


104  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

is  not  so  exceptional  as  is  generally  sup- 
posed; for  Jesus  himself  said  that  "the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven"^  shall 
come,  "as  a  snare,  upon  all  them  that 
dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth  ":^ 
whether  it  arrests  attention,  or  is  dis- 
regarded, is  a  matter  of  individual  concern ; 
for  it  may  be  easily  explained  away  and 
forgotten. 

XXI 

The  discernment  of  many  of  these  truths 
by  Paul  was  through  a  gradual  and  pro- 
gressive enlightenment  on  his  part  under 
this  heavenly  ministration  of  the  Christ, 
especially  emphasized  in  TJie  Acts  and  in 
the  Epistles  where  reference  is  made  to 
"spiritual  gifts"  and  phenomenal  "mani- 
festations." While  laying  far  greater 
stress  on  that  which  is  wholly  spiritual,  as 
concerning  the  heart  and  the  life,  the 
apostle    nevertheless    did    not    disregard 

'  Matt,  xxiv:  30.  ^  I^uke  xxi :  33. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  105 

instrumentalities  that  were  susceptible  of 
development  as  a  channel  for  "prophesy- 
ings,"  or  verbal  heavenly  communion — 
whether  oral,  or  written,  by  this  means. 
He  cautions  his  followers  that  they  "de- 
spise not  prophesyings ;  but  prove  all  things, 
and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good."^  For 
without  these  psychic  instrumentalities 
there  could  be  no  actual  disclosure  of  "the 
things  to  come";  no  means  for  enhghten- 
ing  the  mind  as  to  immortality  and  human 
destiny;  and  no  "communion  of  saints"^ — 
as  originally  understood.  The  incarnation 
itself  implies  this  organic  necessity,  and  is  a 
comprehensive  verification  and  vindication 
of  it  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
natural  and  spiritual  personalities  of  the 
Christ  as  "Son  of  man"  and  "Holy  Ghost." 

XXII 

When  referring  to  that  spiritual  person- 
ality,   to   quote   his   own   words,    "Whom 
^  I  Thess.  V  :  20.  '  Apostles'  Creed. 


io6  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,"^  Jesus 
spoke,  as  it  were,  in  the  third  person;  as 
referring  to  that  which  his  followers  could 
not  then  comprehend:  even  as  Paul  said 
of  himself,  "I  knew  a  man  in  Christ, 
whether  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body, 
I  cannot  tell,  God  knoweth;  how  that  he 
was  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven.  ...  I 
knew  such  a  man  .  .  .  how  that  he  was 
caught  up  into  paradise  and  heard  unspeak- 
able words,  impossible  for  a  man  to  utter."  ^ 
And  in  like  manner  Jesus  referred  to  that 
promised  heavenly  Comforter  as  another 
personality,  and  yet  his  own,  but  "glori- 
fied"— the  heavenly  Christ.  While  on 
earth,  for  the  conveyance  of  spiritual 
truths,  in  opening  the  spiritual  percep- 
tions of  his  followers,  Jesus  was  obliged  to 
teach  them  by  parable;  but  he  promised 
that  a  time  would  come  when,  to  quote 
his  own  words,  he  said,  "I  will  no  more 
speak  unto  you  in  proverbs,  but  will  show 

^  John  xiv  :  26. 

'2  Cor.  xii:  2-4.     See  verse  5. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  107 

you  plainly  of  the  Father."'  For  after 
his  ascension  into  heaven,  and  they  had 
themselves  received  the  Spirit  (as  pre- 
figured after  he  had  risen,  when  *'he 
breathed  on  them,  and  said.  Receive  ye 
the  Holy  Spirit.'"'),  Christ  could  then 
approach  his  followers  by  an  inward  com- 
munion, Spirit  to  spirit;  when  all  figurative, 
or  phenomenal,  forms  of  communion  would 
be  dispensed  with. 

While  therefore  the  historic  Christ  was  a 
Comforter  approaching  his  followers  on 
the  natural  plane;  revealing  divine  things 
as  manifested  in  himself — in  his  own 
earthly  experience  and  teaching — Jesus 
intimated  that  "another  Comforter" 
would  be  required  to  "guide  them  into  all 
truth  and  reveal  the  things  to  come."^ 
For  it  is  through  the  revelation  of  heavenly 
things  that  spiritual  aspirations  are  kindled 
in  the  soul ;  without  which  they  never  would 
be  aroused  except  in  the  form  of  mysti- 

^  John  xvi :  25.  '  John  xx  :  22. 

3  John  xvi :  13. 


io8  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

cal  emotion,  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth. 

These  successive  revelations,  by  the  risen 
Jesus  and  the  heavenly  Christ,  disclose  the 
pathway  of  the  soul's  progress  from  the 
earthly  to  the  heavenly  life;  not  only 
through  a  subconscious  spiritual  means, 
but  sometimes  by  personal  manifestation 
and  conscious  verbal  communion ;  by  which 
spiritual  truths  are  brought  to  the  out- 
ward understanding ;  giving  them  additional 
power  and  potency  when  thus  made  appre- 
hensible as  things  capable  of  being  definitely 
known.'  And  while  Jesus,  as  the  Christ 
of  God,  is  the  supreme  revelator,  through 
the  power  and  personality  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  "revealing  the  things  to  come," 
there  are  many  subordinate  instrumen- 
talities, adapted  to  various  grades  of  intelli- 
gence, which  may  at  times  be  divinely 
employed,  even  in  their  elementary  forms, 
as  "signs"  and  "tokens"  to  induce  a  belief 
in  the  hereafter:  whether  this  is  to  the 

^  Thess.  ii:  13. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  109 

profit,  or  detriment,  of  a  spiritual  con- 
sciousness, rests  with  the  motive  and  mind 
of  the  individual  inquirer;  for  "Virtue  is 
free,  the  chooser  is  answerable,  God  is 
justified." 

XXIII 

Many  other  examples  might  be  given, 
from  both  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
scriptures,  in  illustration  of  the  nature  of 
the  instrumentalities  employed  for  reve- 
lation and  prophecy;  examples  that  distin- 
guish plainly  between  "man's  wisdom"^ 
and  "revelations  of  the  Spirit";  indicating 
likewise  the  organic  means  for  the  trans- 
mission of  the  latter  when  consciously 
manifested.  But  enough  has  been  said  to 
suggest  their  varied  character  and  objective 
reality:  for  to  a  spiritual  consciousness  the 
psychical  is  not  less  truly  objective  than 
the  physical. 

That  the  "ministry  of  angels  and  spirits'* 

'  I  Cor.  ii :  4. 


no  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

is  by  an  organic  means,  and  that  these 
instrumentalities  of  revelation  are  out- 
wardly psychic,  is  a  truth  that  must  be 
recognized  before  it  is  possible  to  apprehend 
the  nature  of  that  heavenly  or  divine  com- 
munion through  the  power  and  personality 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  testimony  run- 
ning through  the  whole  body  of  scripture 
is  concurrent  as  to  the  organic  means  of 
revelation  and  prophecy;  and  this  con- 
currence, covering  vast  periods  of  time  and 
unconsciously  attested  by  innumerable  wit- 
nesses, rests  on  no  mere  figure  of  speech, 
but  on  facts  objectively  discerned.  The 
angelic  agencies  employed  as  "messengers" 
are  not  less  distinctly  organic  than  are  the 
mind  and  senses  of  the  prophet  who  is  the 
recipient  of  these  things.  The  prophet 
invariably  discerns  these  instrumentalities 
as  living  personalities ;  and  he  reports  their 
acts  and  words  as  things  "seen  and  heard." 
By  this  conscious  means  the  prophet  was 
enabled  to  distinguish  revelation  and 
prophecy  from  that  subconscious  spiritual 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  iii 

influence  which  is  ceaseless  throughout  all 
worlds,  but  is  otherwise  incapable  of  being 
discriminated  from  the  spontaneous  oper- 
ation of  the  human  mind.  ^ 

The  record  of  scripture  makes  no  dis- 
tinction between  words  heard  psychically, 
and  sounds  addressing  the  physical  sense; 
the  former  are  just  as  sonorous  as  the  latter 
while  the  psychic  senses  are  "opened," 
— this  truth  finds  definite  illustration  in 
"the  call  of  Samuel,  "^  as  well  as  in  Paul's 
experience,  previously  noted.  And  simi- 
larly the  psychic  sight  is  not  less  real,  to 
say  the  least,  than  is  the  physical  sight, 
discerning  as  objective  "the  things  that 
were  shown."  Ezekiel  says  of  his  experi- 
ence, "I  beheld  the  appearance  of  the 
likeness  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord :  and  when 
I  saw  it  I  fell  down  upon  my  face,  and  I 
heard  a  voice  of  one  that  spake.  And  he 
said  unto  me.  Son  of  man,  stand  upon  thy 
feet,  and  I  will  speak  unto  thee. "  Then 
followed  a  change  in   the  order  of  mani- 

^  Numbers  22  :  38.  '  i  Samuel  iii  :  4-10. 


112  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

festation,  the  vision  was  merged  into  proph- 
esyings: — "And  the  spirit  entered  into 
me  when  he  spake  with  me,  and  set  me 
upon  my  feet:  and  I  heard  him  that  spake 
unto  me. "  ^  The  spirit  who'showed  Ezekiel 
the  vision  by  opening  his  psychic  senses 
then  took  possession  of  the  vocal  organs  of 
the  prophet  and  gave  verbal  expression 
to  his  message,  saying,  ''Thus  saith  the 
Lord,"  etc.  The  prophet  narrates  the 
following  as  plain  matter  of  fact:  "The 
spirit  lifted  me  up  and  took  me  away":^ 
even  as  the  soul  of  Paul  was  "caught  up" 
out  of  the  body.  2 

XXIV 

Studied  in  the  light  of  related  knowledge 
arbitrary  miracle  disappears  and  the 
means,  or  instrumentalities,  of  revelation 
and  prophecy  are  found  to  be  organic 
throughout ;  dependent  on  a  series  of  living 

'  Ezekiel  i  :  28  and  ii :  1-2. 

'  Ezekiel  iii :  14.  ^  2  Cor.  xii  :  2-4. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  113 

agents — ''angels  and  ministering  spirits"^ 
— for  transmitting  divine  teachings  by  an 
outward  channel,  or  conscious  means, 
before  they  are  spiritually  discerned  "face 
to  face."  In  the  New  Testament  this 
organic  means  is  indicated  in  the  following: 
— "The  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
God  gave  unto  him,  to  show  unto  his  ser- 
vants things  which  must  shortly  come  to 
pass:  and  he  sent  and  signified  it  by  his 
angel  unto  his  servant  John:  who  bare 
record  of  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  all  the 
things  that  he  saw.  "^  ^ 

^  Heb.  i :  14.  '  Rev.  1:1-2. 

3  Note :  The  ministry  of  Angels  in  the  life  of  Christ 
is  specified  as  follows : — The  Angel  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion: Luke  i  :  26-38;  the  Angel  that  appeared  to 
Joseph,  Matt,  i:  20;  The  vision  of  Angels  seen  by 
the  shepherds:  Luke  ii  :  8-17;  the  Angel  directing  the 
flight  into  Egypt :  Matt,  ii  :  13 ;  the  ministry  of  Angels 
after  the  temptation:  Mark  i  :  13;  Moses  and  Elias 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration;  "an  Angel 
strengthening  him"  in  Gethsemane:  Luke  xxii: 
43;  the  Angels  at  the  sepulchre:  Matt,  xxviii:  1-4; 
Mark  xvi  :  5-6;  Luke  xxiv  :  7-8  and  John  xx  :  12,13; 
the  two  Angels  at  the  Ascension :  Acts  i  :  i  o,  11. 
8 


114  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

Not  only  is  the  instrumentality  by 
organic  contact,  but  later  revelations  of 
spiritual  truths  must  necessarily  be  linked 
to  former  revelations,  often  employing 
similar  forms  of  expression ;  for  this  spiritual 
continuity  is  just  as  imperative  as  is  the 
organic  connection;  thus  is  the  New  Testa- 
ment revelation  distinctly  related  to  the 
promises  and  prophesyings^  of  the  Old 
Testament ;  one  order  of  revelation  serving 
to  interpret  and  illuminate  the  other. 
There  could  be  no  progress  in  spiritual 
enlightenment  without  this  spiritual  contin- 
uity ;  and  no  prophet  can  be  a  "  true  proph- 
et" of  heavenly  things  except  his  mind  is 
already  familiar  with,  and  reverences  as 
a  reality,  the  divine  communion  of  the  past. 

The  impulse  of  John  to  worship  the 
angelic  messenger  was  repelled  by  the 
words: — "See  thou  do  it  not;  for  I  am  thy 
fellow-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  the 
prophets;"^  while  the  appearance  of  Moses 

'  Rom.  XV  :  8  and  Heb.  vi  :  12  and  2  Peter  i :  4. 
'  Rev.  xix  :  10  and  xxii  :  8-9. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH  115 

and  Elias  in  communion  with  Jesus  on  the 
mount,  advising  him  of  his  approaching 
crucifixion  at  Jerusalem/  likewise  indi- 
cates this  organic  necessity  and  spiritual 
continuity  for  outward  revelations;  even 
when  proceeding  from  a  heavenly,  or 
divine  source. 

XXV 

Nevertheless  while,  for  a  specific  purpose 
with  reference  to  what  follows  in  Part  III, 
emphasis  has  herein  been  laid  on  the  na- 
ture of  the' organic  instrumentalities  that 
constitute  a  'channel  of  revelation  and 
prophecy,  eliminating  the  miraculous,  Paul 
distinctly  cautions  his  associates  against  an 
undue  estimate  of  the  phenomenal,  the 
intellectual,^  and  even  that  which  may  be  a 
direct  offspring  of  faith,  in  comparison  with 
that  which  proceeds  from  the  heart — 
"out  of  which  are  the  issues  of  life"^ — 

'  Luke  ix  :  30-31.  '  Col.  ii  :  8. 

3  Prov.  iv  :  23, 


Ii6  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH 

manifested  in  the  love  of  God  and  man. 
After  referring  specifically  to  these  outward 
instrumentalities  for  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment, which  he  counseled  are  to  be  desired,  ^ 
and  are  not  to  be  despised,^  he  adds: — 
"And  yet  I  show  unto  you  a  more  excellent 
way.  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  love,  I 
am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling 
cymbal.  And  though  I  have  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  and  understand  all  mysteries, 
and  all  knowledge;  and  though  I  have  all 
faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains, 
and  have  not  love,  I  am  nothing.  "^ 

*  I  Cor.  xiv  :  I.  '  i  Thess.  v  :  20. 

3  I  Cor.  xii  :  31  and  xiii  :  1-2. 


PART  III 

REVELATION  AND  THE  LIFE  TO 
COME 


117 


[The  writings  that  follow  are  extracts  from  the 
record  of  a  series  of  experiences  extending,  at  inter- 
vals, over  several  years — from  1881  to  1886.  The 
record  from  which  these  selections  are  made  is  a 
direct  verbal  product,  or  deposit,  of  these  experiences, 
by  a  means  indicated  in  the  Appendix. 

These  writings  are  of  the  nature  of  a  revelation  of 
the  life  to  come:  in  their  higher  spiritual  forms 
they  are  of  the  character  of  what  were  formerly 
termed  " prophesyings "  and  "manifestations  of  the 
Spirit."  They  will  be  found  to  contain  within 
themselves  all  that  is  needful  to  a  clear  perception  of 
their  true  source  and  significance.] 


118 


TRUTH  REVEALED 


* 


[When*' the  power''  was  established,  and  the 
hand  brought  under  control  by  the  invisible 
guiding  influence,  the  following  was  written:] 

.  .  .  "If  you  abandon  yourselves  to  the 
influence  you  may  extend  your  life  into 
our  world  and  share  in  the  pure  light  of 
Spirit,  but  when  absorbed  in  temporal 
things  you  are  separated  from  us  as  by 
an  impassable  wall.  We  would  pour  into 
your  hearts  the  Light  of  Day,  the  bright- 
ness of  that  spiritual  light  which  enfolds 
the  earnest  seeker — for  are  not  we  your 
ministering  spirits?  But  often  are  we 
compelled  to  drive  back  into  the  sanctuary 
of  thought  our  desires  for  you. 

"In  the  light  that  now  shines  on  you 
through  this  communion  is  already  ful- 
filled for  you  the  promise  of  a  new  heaven 
119 


I20  TRUTH  REVEALED 

and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteous- 
ness. For  you  may  now  look  back  on  the 
time  when  you  gased  intently  into  the 
future  as  if  there  alone  lay  your  hope, 
while  around  you,  unperceived,  was  a 
possible,  a  real  heaven.  Cherish  especi- 
ally the  thought  of  a  present  Eternity;  it 
will  refine  and  upHft  the  mind,  and  give  a 
meaning  and  use  to  every  thought  and  act. 
Live  always  in  the  Light,  for  they  to  whom 
God  is  an  ever-shining  Sun  will  reap  a  rich 
harvest  of  blessing  in  this  vale  of  struggle, 
as  well  as  in  the  brightness  of  the  Heavenly 
Land.  The  lesson  which  abides  with  us 
here,  is  that  of  reaHsing,  continually,  the 
presence  of  God,  in  us  and  about  us.  For 
they  who  are  born  of  the  Spirit  are  already 
at  home  in  the  Father's  House;  and  if  it  be 
but  the  lower  rooms  we  are  in,  nevertheless 
it  is  the  Father's  House. " 

[In  reply  to  a  question.] 

"We  all  stand  on  the  shores  of  a  bound- 
less sea;  we  see  in  one  light,  you  in  another; 
the  infinite  is  equally  before  us  in  this  life, 


TRUTH  REVEALED  121 

as  m  yours.  Even  as  your  eyes  are  dim, 
and  your  hands  feeble,  so  the  veil  of  our 
imperfection  is  suspended  between  us  and 
the  vast  unknown.  We  press  forward, 
and  still  a  beyond  lies  before  us.  With 
constant  endeavor  we  grasp,  and  it  eludes 
us,  but  something  remains  to  bless  us  as 
a  foundation  for  more." 

Are  you  permitted  to  reveal  sacred  things,  as 
in  the  past? 

"Until  the  time  is  at  hand  for  a  distinct 
revelation,  before  it  becomes  possible  for  it 
to  be  a  revelation,  and  after  the  ground 
is  prepared,  then,  and  only  then,  will  He 
who  sows  come,  and  give  the  good  gift. 
We  know  this  to  be  true  from  experience. 
The  Light,  were  it  shown  you  without  a 
preparation  of  mind  and  heart,  would  be  too 
strong  for  you  to  bear,  and  God  shows  His 
mercy  no  less  in  withholding  the  Light  than 
in  bringing  you  into  it.  In  His  infinite 
mercy  He  will  open  your  eyes  day  by  day 
until  you  shall  be  prepared  to  receive  His 
own  words,  by  His  own  Messengers,  those 


122  TRUTH  REVEALED 

who  come  out  from  His  immediate  Pres- 
ence. While  you  thus  wait  the  Life  is 
poured  into  your  souls,  and  in  a  moment 
your  growth  in  grace  may  be  greater  than 
you  can  know. 

"We  see  clearly  that  man's  only  hope 
of  Life  is  by  patiently  enduring,  through 
faith,  until  he  shall  receive  the  blessing 
which  comes  from  God  speaking  to  the  soul 
directly;  and  if  you  listen  to  this  inner 
voice,  and  obey  its  dictates,  you  will  make 
a  greater  advance  than  you  can  measure. 
For  God's  own  word,  that  speaks  to  you 
through  the  heart,  is  surer  than  any 
voice  which  may  be  heard;  surer  than 
spoken  words,  for  in  these  you  have  but 
the  interpretation  of  the  thought,  while 
with  God's  voice  in  the  conscience  you 
have  His  words  free  from  any  impur- 
ity, which  is  mixed  with  all  outward 
expression.  .  .  . 

"When  you  have  once  seen  the  Light 
then  the  Spirit  opens  your  minds  to  the 
apprehension  of  spiritual  truths  in  a  way 


TRUTH  REVEALED  123 

that  was  before  impossible;  then  your  true 
life  has  begun,  then  you  are  numbered 
among  God's  children  and  are  heirs  of 
immortality. 

"The  life  of  the  Spirit  is  a  progressive 
life,  requiring  continually  the  food  from 
heaven  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  This 
food  is  the  Light  of  Life;  and  this  is  that 
Light  which  God  Himself,  through  the 
operation  of  the  Spirit,  gives  to  man;  to 
each  as  he  asks,  to  each  one  as  he  lays  him- 
self open  to  the  Influence,  which  may  come 
to  him  in  great  abundance.  No  man 
need  be  without  this  Light,  for  it  is  the 
Great  Inheritance,  the  common  inheritance 
of  man.  When  you  come  into  this  Light 
you  may  then  recognise  a  power  of  thought 
to  which  the  natural  man  is  blinded.  It 
bids  you  see  for  the  first  time.  It  calls 
you  to  take  possession  of  your  birthright 
and  become  the  being  your  Eternal  Father 
has  destined  you  to  be.  Then,  and  then 
only,  can  you  be  said  to  live,  to  live  as  unto 
God. 


124  TRUTH  REVEALED 

"  By  a  constant  endeavor  to  discern  those 
things  which  make  for  righteousness  you 
may  walk  in  the  Spirit  in  many  ways  which 
are  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  of  God. 
Happy  are  they  who  dwell  continually  in 
His  presence,  for  their  life  is  real,  and  they 
shall  abide  forever  in  His  kingdom  and 
be  the  means  of  conveying  to  others  words 
of  Eternal  Life." 


* 
*        * 


[November  5,  1882.] 

//  was  written : 

.  .  .  "Remember  that  the  gift  is  not 
yours,  but  in  you.  Regard  it  as  a  sacred 
trust,  for  the  benefit  of  others  as  well  as  for 
yourselves.  .  .  .  Calmness  of  mind  is  neces. 
sary  for  the  development  of  these  powers, 
and  in  preparation  for  the  life  that  awaits 
you  when  the  flesh  is  laid  down.  Do  not 
fear  shocks,  either  physical,  or  mental;  if 
accepted  calmly  they  may  be  regarded  as 
steps  in  the  onward  movement  of  the  spirit. 
Growth  is  gradual;  in  order  to  last  it  must 
be  so;  but  crises  occur  in  all  lives.  .  .  . 

*'We  shall  on  this  occasion  be  the  means 

of  conveying  to  you  words  from  which 

life  and  hope  may  be  born.     The  messenger 

will  choose  his  own  hour,  but  we  are  assured 
125 


126  TRUTH  REVEALED 

that  before  we  leave  you  we  shall  have 
his  words,  for  this  is  the  urgent  call  that 
has  brought  us  together  now.  .  .  . 

"It  is  but  seldom,  and  as  a  great  and 
precious  blessing,  for  a  special  purpose, 
that  the  Saints  commune  with  men.  Our 
means  of  drawing  to  us  the  great  and 
pure  spirits  is  by  love  and  veneration. 
We  dwell  much  on  the  power  of  love,  for  it 
is  the  greatest  force  in  this  world  where 
sympathy  is  sight.  Love,  in  active  exer- 
cise, is  charity;  and  here  as  with  you  the 
words  are  true,  that  charity  covers  a  multi- 
tude of  sins.  Love  descends  and  broods 
over  the  weakness  and  sorrows  of  human- 
ity. Love  is  the  ladder  by  which  we  climb. 
Our  weaknesses  and  faults  fall  away  from 
us  insensibly,  almost  without  effort,  when 
for  love's  pure  sake  we  are  engaged  in  works 
of  love.  We  do  not  then  have  to  strive,  or 
labor  with  ourselves,  but  purity  comes 
to  us  and  faults  fade  away  as  darkness  is 
dispelled  by  daylight. 

**  One  of  the  blessings  of  this  intercourse 


TRUTH  REVEALED  127 

is,  that  love  brings  us  to  you  and  aids  us  in 
overcoming  the  many  obstacles  encount- 
ered in  this  new  path,  of  communion  with 
mortals.  But  these  very  efforts  benefit  us 
by  strengthening  our  powers  of  manifesta- 
tion in  our  world,  and  by  drawing  us  out 
of  ourselves  they  give  us  another  motive 
beyond  the  desire  to  grow  in  our  own  spirit- 
ual life.  In  other  ways  we  are  benefited 
by  this  intercourse,  of  which  you  may  gain 
some  knowledge  in  the  effort  to  raise  the 
thought  of  those  about  you  to  a  higher  plane. 
We  are  closely  united  with  those  who,  in 
the  Earth-life,  strive  to  do  this,  and  thus 
are  good  and  great  things  accompHshed. 

"We  are  filled  with  the  earnest  desire 
to  aid  you  in  this  enlightenment.  Use 
the  opportunity,  for  it  is  a  question  of 
times  and  seasons,  of  atmospheric  influ- 
ences, and  even  the  fleshly  atoms  have 
something  to  do  with  it,  or  we  could  not 
control,  as  we  do,  the  eyes,  the  voice,  the 
hand.  Fill  the  mind  with  spiritual  thoughts, 
dwell  upon  them  when  rising  up  and  lying 


128  TRUTH  REVEALED 

down.  When  such  thoughts  fill  your  minds 
you  need  no  assurance  that  we  are  beside 
you.  But  do  not  be  disappointed  if  this 
favorable  season  should  terminate;  it  can- 
not be  always  spring.  Cherish  what  comes, 
and  live  on  it  in  times  of  drought.  [A 
pause.] 

"A  pure  and  mighty  one  is  near  you. 
Listen!" 

[The  writing  became  slow  and  measured,  as 
if  from  dictation:] 

"  'To  you  who  crave  for  goodness  as  the 
hart  pants  after  the  waters  I  come  with 
words  of  love  and  hope  and  encouragement. 

"  'We,  by  the  mercy  and  love  of  God, 
dwell  in  the  land  of  light,  in  the  kingdom  of 
endless  ages.  Here  is  undying  life ;  here  the 
peace  that  passeth  understanding ;  here  joy 
wanes  not,  here  beauty  withers  not,  here 
love  grows  not  cold,  for  we  dwell  in  the  smile 
of  the  Face  of  God. 

"'We,  too,  have  been  as  you  now  are, 
tossed  on  the  waves  of  this  troublesome 
world.     Now  we    stand    on    the    eternal 


TRUTH  REVEALED  12^ 

shore  and  see  your  peril,  as  the  billows  of 
trial  and  temptation  surge  around  you. 
And  we  hold  up  to  you  the  light  of  Love  and 
Truth  to  guide  you  home.  And  we  bid  you 
remember  that  the  day  is  coming,  when  in 
you,  as  in  us,  patience  shall  have  wrought 
her  perfect  work,  when  hope  shall  be  lost  in 
fruition,  and  when  you,  too,  shall  know  the 
fulness  of  joy  that  abides  in  the  Presence 
of  God.'" 
9 


*  *  * 


[January  7,  1883.] 

[After  reading  aloud  the  words  received 
on  the  previous  occasion,  the  following  was 
communicated  by  the  writing:] 

' '  You  have  called  us  around  you  by  that 
unfailing  summons,  sacred  to  us,  as  to  your 
mortal  ears. 

"You  should  be  willing,  and  prepared,  to 
resign  yourselves  to  the  power.  For  if  you 
give  us  free  scope  we  can,  as  you  now  know, 
soar  with  you  into  the  heights  of  divine 
blessing,  and  probe  deeply  the  mystery 
of  the  unseen.  But  a  passive  receptivity 
will  not  suffice.  There  should  be  more 
than  willingness  to  receive;  there  must 
be  ardent  desire  corresponding  to  the 
boon  you  seek,  and  which  we  are  around  you 
to  give.  We  aim  to  supply  all  the  needful 
130 


TRUTH  REVEALED  131 

power.  Others,  too,  of  a  higher  order,  are 
near  you,  influencing  your  minds  to  grow 
and  expand.  When  you  breathe  that  sa- 
cred Message,  and  when  your  hearts  are 
in  unison,  the  power  called  forth  is  greater 
than  you  can  know. 

"Time  has  been  given  that  you  might 
take  to  your  hearts  words  which  were  to  us, 
as  to  you,  a  great  and  wonderful  blessing. 
No  time  is  lost  that  is  so  used,  for  you  gain 
as  much  by  that  means  as  by  direct  com- 
munion with  the  spirit  world.  .  .  . 

' '  If  your  desire  is  for  these  higher  gifts 
you  will  have  to  relinquish  the  lesser  com- 
munion for  the  greater;  for  many  from 
beyond,  of  whom  you  have  no  knowledge, 
will  come,  hoping  to  influence  the  expres- 
sion of  truth.  The  blessing  of  a  higher  inter- 
course will  impose  on  you  this  voluntary 
sacrifice  as  a  necessity.  But  we  can  give 
you  no  higher  proof  of  our  love  and  in- 
terest, for  thus  we  take  you  into  the  secret 
thoughts  of  our  life  here.  We  likewise  de- 
pend on  you,  for  without  you  we  cannot 


132  TRUTH  REVEALED 

have  the  direct  words  which  holy  ones  from 
beyond  bring  for  those  in  your  life.  .  .  . 

"The  light  that  we  may  reflect  for  you  is 
not  ours,  it  is  exterior  to  ourselves,  shining 
through  our  minds.  To  bring  it  within 
the  compass  of  words,  by  this  means,  is  our 
great  difficulty.  To-night  we  draw  you 
into  our  assembled  company  as  longing  for 
the  same  blessing,  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  bond  of  peace.  All  are  here;  the 
place  is  a  holy  place,  for  we  all  await  the 
voice  of  one  who  speaks  with  authority  to 
us  and  to  you  alike.  One  who  has  *  heard 
the  voice  of  God  resounding  through 
the  ages,/  and  who  by  faith  and  patience 
and  purity  has  obtained  an  unspeakable 
reward." 

[By  another  communing  spirit:]  "The 
old  lesson — not  he  that  repeateth  the  Name, 
but  he  that  doeth  the  Will:  that  was  the 
lesson  of  the  Great  Master.  That  is  a  les- 
son for  your  life,  and  for  ours.  Here  we 
learn  that  Will  more  fully,  but  the  perfec- 
tion awaits  us  in  a  higher  sphere. " 


TRUTH  REVEALED  13s 

[By  another:]  "Purity  and  self-sacrifice 
are  the  best  preparation  for  the  life  to  come. 
By  self-sacrifice  you  may  practice  on  Earth, 
by  gradual  steps,  the  work  of  your  future 
eternal  life,  which  will  be  a  complete  and 
perfect  submission  to  the  Will  of  God.  For 
this  is  heaven  indeed — one  will,  one  desire; 
no  further  temptation  because  all  self-will 
has  been  uprooted  and  subdued. 

* '  We  grow  gradually  into  this  oneness  of 
will,  and  the  earthly  stage  is  all  part  of  the 
preparation  for  blessedness  hereafter." 

[After  a  pause  the  following  was  com- 
municated hy  the  writing  with  great  delibera- 
tion and  calmness,  as  if  hy  dictation:] 

"  'Peace,  good  will  to  men. 

**  *  Peace  to  the  kindred  of  the  saints,  on 
whom  shines  the  dawning  of  the  Day  of 
God. 

'"Unite  your  wills  to  the  Will  of  God, 
so  shall  your  peace  flow  as  a  river,  and  your 
purification  shall  be  perfected. 

"'In  this  heavenly  country,  where  the 


134  TRUTH  REVEALED 

King  reigns  in  His  beauty,  we  follow  His 
will,  we  are  wholly  His,  for  no  cloud  can 
separate  us  from  His  love.  We  live  only 
for  Him,  we  abide  where  He  places  us,  we 
have  no  will  but  His,  and  He  is  our  God 
forever  and  ever. 

"'God  directs  your  way  for  His  own 
glory,  which  is  your  highest  good.  He  will 
have  you  live  and  labor  for  Him,  not  seeing 
the  fruit  of  your  toil,  content  to  know  you 
are  doing  His  work,  that  you  prepare  His 
way,  and  plough  up  the  soil  of  the  world 
for  the  seed  of  the  future,  knowing  your 
record  is  on  high.  He  makes  of  your 
weakness  the  throne  of  His  mercy,  the  seat 
of  His  omnipotence.  To  you,  and  in  you, 
He  draws  near,  and  gloom  vanishes  before 
His  bright  presence. 

"  'We,  in  His  name,  strengthen  and  cheer 
you  with  the  promise  of  the  home  where  He 
in  His  love  and  mercy  has  gathered  us,  and 
where  He  will  surely  bring  all  who  live  in 
love.  There,  in  the  land  of  eternal  spring, 
of  everlasting  light,  awaits  you  an  inherit- 


TRUTH  REVEALED  135 

ance  incorruptible,  an  unfailing  treasure, 
a  life  of  perfect  peace.  Your  waking  souls 
can  yet  see  only  in  dim  vision  that  land 
of  light,  you  can  look  only  on  the  veils  of 
the  bliss  to  be  revealed,  on  the  shadows 
of  the  heavenly  glory  that  overflows  the 
paradise  of  God.  But  look  up,  and  lift  up 
your  heads,  for  your  redemption  draweth 
nigh,  day  by  day. 

"'0,  blessed,  endless  eternity,  wherein 
shall  grow  continually  the  love  of  the  Holy 
Will  of  God.'" 

[After  a  long  silence  the  following  was 
given  in  reply  to  questions  asked:] 

"We  know  not  the  name  now,  but  you 
shall  learn  it ;  we  also  desire  to  know  whence 
these  words  which  come  to  us  all  and  help 
our  lives.  In  the  great  presence  of  this 
night  we  likewise  are  listeners,  and  we  also 
are  privileged  to  be  here. 

' '  There  need  be  no  pause  in  our  onward 
and  upward  journey.  Their  desire  is  to 
strengthen  us  in  this  cause,  and  to  renew 


136  TRUTH  REVEALED 

US  day  by  day.  When  we  come  together 
again  make  your  preparation  by  earnest 
prayer,  and  the  blessing  will  be  given  with- 
out measure.  And  remember  us  in  your 
prayers,  for  we  receive  the  blessing  with  you 
when  in  harmony. " 

[On  a  subsequent  occasion  the  following 
was  communicated:]  "  He  who  came  is  God's 
servant,  who  does  His  bidding;  by  him  the 
Spirit  of  the  Most  High  gains  conscious 
access  to  your  hearts.  And  by  this  means 
we  receive  strength,  which  only  comes  when 
God  speaks  to  His  children  on  Earth. 
When  He  shall  see  fit  to  give  us  the  higher 
Hfe,  the  life  of  His  saints,  then  shall  be 
fulfilled  in  us  the  saying  which  is  written 
— How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  those  who 
bring  glad  tidings. " 


"They  come  to  you  with  a  high  end  to 
accomplish.  Through  this  means  they  see 
a  channel  for  the  spread  of  God's  truth.     It 


TRUTH  REVEALED  137 

is  by  no  mere  chance  that  this  has  come 
about,  but  by  a  power  beyond  your  own. 
Every  gift  brings  its  responsibility,  but 
your  strength  shall  be  as  your  day.  Let 
your  hearts  be  filled  with  thanksgiving; 
that  is  your  acceptable  sacrifice.  Every 
note  of  praise  in  your  souls  finds  its  echo 
in  the  great  harmony  of  rejoicing  now 
ascending  from  us  all.  A  common  boon, 
a  common  gift,  therefore  are  we  united 
in  our  common  praise." 

[By  another,  in  reply  to  a  question:]  "He 
who  came  is  of  that  heavenly  order  whose 
mission  it  is  to  guide  and  protect  all  the 
heirs  of  eternal  life.  Their  commission  is 
not  to  single  souls,  but  to  the  great  family 
of  God.  Individual  guardianship  is  by 
spirits  of  the  lower  spheres.  The  name 
was  given  for  your  confirmation  in  faith. 
When  you  have  reached  a  further  stage 
in  spiritual  progress  you  will  not  care 
to  know  the  precise  channel  of  the  high 
communication.  Your  first  Message  was 
for  cheer  and  comfort;  now  you  have  had 


138  TRUTH  REVEALED 

your  first  lesson  in  heavenly  things.  This, 
the  first  step,  is  likewise  the  last,  for  the 
will  of  God  IS  to  be  done  in  Earth  as  in 
Heaven;  and  neither  in  the  earthly  life, 
nor  even  in  the  higher  spheres,  can  that 
lesson  be  perfectly  learned." 

[By  another:]  ''When  you  have  seen 
and  understood  these  things — that  is  the 
meaning  of  the  words  of  the  message, 
'your  redemption  draweth  nigh. '  A  reali- 
sation of  the  meaning  of  the  words  is  the 
evidence  of  this  redemption.  By  this  inward 
light  alone  can  you  be  said  to  live  truly,  to 
live  as  unto  God,  the  author  of  all  that  is 
good  and  true  in  life.  No  one  can  be  said 
to  have  passed  into  the  condition  of  the 
higher  life  until  he  feels  that  God  Himself 
has  touched  him,  and  made  him  live  again. 
Then,  and  then  only,  begins  the  true  life. " 

[By  another:]  "Faith  alone  can  inter- 
pret hfe.  Faith  will  solve  for  you  the  enig- 
mas of  the  world:  such  faith  as  you  may 
attain  to,  tinctured  with  spiritual  sight. 
You  may  then  look  calmly  on  the  trials  of 


TRUTH  REVEALED  139 

life,  even  on  the  mystery  of  pain;  for  pain 
and  discontent  are  the  rebellion  of  body 
and  mind  against  existing  conditions.  Let 
this  be  only  a  stimulus  to  bring  these 
conditions  into  conformity  with  God's 
will,  who  is  All  Good,  and  who  ordains 
only  that  which  is  for  good  if  His  children 
leave  His  plans  to  be  accomplished.  In 
all  your  trials,  great  and  small,  turn  them 
into  good;  either  by  active  endeavor  to 
remove  the  evil  which  produces  them,  or 
by  a  quiet  submission  of  your  own  will  to 
the  great  Father. " 


* 
*       * 


[March  ii,  1883.] 

It  was  written : 

.  .  ."Gradually  the  light  breaks.  We 
must  be  prepared,  or  we  shall  be  unable 
to  bear  the  light.  God's  Holy  Influence 
will  guide  our  thought,  and  the  revelation 
will  gradually  dawn  upon  our  sight.  We 
know  that  there  will  come  from  these 
Messages  an  eternal  fruition. 

"We  can  now  tell  you  of  one  of  the 
mysteries  of  our  life.  We  know  the 
Heavenly  Messenger  is  coming.  We  know 
that  only  the  thin  veil  of  our  imperfection 
will  hide  from  us  a  heavenly  and  awful 
presence.  Yet  when  he  comes  every  sense 
will  be  stirred  as  with  surprise.  We  shall 
have,  united,  a  sense  of  satisfied  expecta- 
tion, and  yet  of  wonder.     Here  we  enjoy 

the  good  things  granted  us  without  satiety ; 
140 


TRUTH  REVEALED  14I 

their  delights  do  not  pall,  nor  lessen  by 
custom,  or  use;  the  bloom  of  the  first 
pleasure  does  not  fade,  but  endures  con- 
tinually. This  is  one  of  the  mysteries 
of  our  life  as  compared  with  yours." 

[It  was  asked  by  what  means  they  know  of 
the  coming  of  a  Messenger,  and  the  purport  of 
his  message  before  its  actual  delivery?] 

*'lt  is  in  the  air.  We  know,  how  we 
know  we  know  not.  Our  being  is  per- 
vaded with  a  sweet  and  thrilling  influence, 
by  which  we  are  made  to  feel  the  nature  of 
the  teaching  we  await.  It  is  an  influence 
such  as  we,  in  our  degree,  may  exercise 
over  those  in  Earth-life." 

[By  another:]  "Be  sure  of  one  thing: 
whatever  may  befall,  God  is  leading  you  to 
happiness  by  the  easiest  road.  Happiness 
is  the  natural  result  of  the  fulfilment  of 
God's  will,  which  continually  increases 
throughout  eternity  as  your  expanding 
souls  grow  in  capacity  for  good.  God's 
eternity  is  the  measure  of  yours,  and  the 
spiritual   life,  born   from    the   knowledge 


142  TRUTH  REVEALED 

of  spiritual  things,  is  heaven  begun." 
[A  pause.] 

"  If  your  eyes  were  opened  you  would  see 
the  great  company  that  is  now  gather- 
ing about  us;  for  we,  with  you,  await  a 
blessing." 

[A  long  silence  ensued,  when  the  following 
was  communicated  in  a  measured  form,  as  if 
dictated  sentence  by  sentence:"^ 

'"Behold  the  Love  of  God! 

"'Behold  Him  who  is  uncreated  Love, 
unbounded  by  time,  or  space;  who  has 
loved  you  with  an  everlasting  love;  who  is 
the  God  of  love,  and  worthy  of  all  love. 

"  'Behold  Him  whose  love  is  Life;  whose 
life  is  Love;  who  binds  all  spheres  in  one 
by  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  by  the  bond  of 
a  common  paternity,  by  the  hope  of  a 
common  inheritance. 

"'The  home  of  His  children  is  in  the 
Heart  of  God,  who  fills  all  worlds;  realise 
His  sacred  presence  in  the  inner  sanctuary 
of  your  secret  life,  so  may  you  now  begin  to 


TRUTH  REVEALED  143 

possess  Him,  whom  to  know  is  the  bliss  of 
heaven.  Press  onward  to  the  goal,  the 
crown  of  reward,  gasing  steadfastly  on  the 
love  of  the  Eternal  Father,  till  He  receives 
all  those  who  are  perfected  by  patience 
into  the  inheritance  of  the  children  of 
God.  Then  shall  happiness  be  changed 
into  heavenly  joy,  when  He  makes  manifest 
the  glory  that  encompasses  His  throne. 
Then  shall  you  know  the  serene  stillness  of 
a  soul  that  rests  in  God,  the  rapture  of 
doing  Him  service,  the  ethereal  calm  of  a 
will  united  to  the  'Divine.  Then  shall  you 
be  tranquilised,  gladdened,  refreshed,  and 
satisfied,  with  the  fruition  of  God;  for  He, 
the  everlasting  God,  will  be  All  in  all. 

"'O  King  of  all  beauty  and  glory,  we 
desire  no  inheritance  beside  Thee. ' " 


[On  a  subsequent  occasion  the  following  was 

communicated:] 

"These  Messages  are  a  great  blessing  to 


144  TRUTH  REVEALED 

US  all,  for  they  come  from  the  source  of  All 
Good.  We  know  that  he  who  brought 
these  words  of  comfort  is  God's  Messenger. 
God  is  love,  and  by  the  exercise  of  the 
love  of  God  we  call  around  us  those  who 
stand  before  the  great  Author  of  Love.  .  .  . 
**When  you  exercise  the  love  of  God  in 
your  hearts  then  you  may  expect  the  bless- 
ing of  those  who  stand  in  His  immediate 
presence.  And  we  likewise  stand  and  watch 
and  wait  to  help  forward  those  who,  in 
Earth-life,  seek  the  presence  of  our  common 
Father,  who  is  ever  ready  to  bless  His 
children." 


"They  who  come  out  from  God's  pres- 
ence are  Messengers,  whose  joyful  service 
it  is  to  bring  life  to  the  souls  of  men.  They 
are  God's  instruments  for  making  conscious 
in  man  the  operation  of  the  Spirit. 

"The  teaching  of  old,  which  came  in  Hke 
manner  to  the  beloved  of  the  Lord,  has  its 
echo  in  our  hearts:  Beloved,  now  are  we 


TRUTH  REVEALED  145 

the  children  of  God,  but  It  doth  not  yet 
appear  what  we  shall  be ;  but  we  know  that 
when  He,  our  King,  our  Master,  our  Leader, 
the  divine  Son  of  God,  shall  appear,  we  shall 
be  like  Him;  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He 
is,  and  the  light  of  His  purity  will  pervade 
our  souls  and  conform  us  to  His  likeness; 
not  only  as  by  the  reflection  of  His  image, 
but  the  influence  of  His  purity  and  beauty 
and  virtue  will  be  communicated  to  our 
natures. 

* '  A  magnetic  virtue  of  healing  went  out 
from  Him  when  He  dwelt  on  Earth,  and  a 
virtue  of  sanctification  goes  out  from  Him 
now  to  those  to  whom  He  draws  near. "... 


*        * 


[December  28, 1884.] 

It  was  written  : 

.  .  .  **  We  feel  the  pressure  of  a  solemn 
influence,  as  if  our  thoughts  were  restrained 
that  some  higher  power  may  find  ex- 
pression when  perfect  harmony  is  estab- 
lished. We  dare  not  be  too  confident  that 
this  will  be  in  words,  but  we  are  sure 
that  a  higher  presence  will  make  itself 
felt. 

"We  know  only  in  part,  and  are  conscious 

of  the  unworthiness  and  imperfection  of  the 

means  by  which  this  higher  influence  can 

reach  you.     Holiness  of  heart  can  alone 

render  us  meet  channels  for  such  gifts. 

The  knowledge  that  the  treasure,  though 

given  in  earthen  vessels,  is  not  lessened  by 

contact  with  weakness   and  imperfection, 

does  not  do  away  with  the  feeling  that  an 
146 


TRUTH  REVEALED  147 

unworthy  attitude  of  mind  unfits  us  for  a 
great  duty. 

"Here  we  are  ever  striving  for  a  fuller 
knowledge  of  God.  The  desire  for  God 
is  the  first  principle  of  our  spiritual  being, 
as  the  contemplation  of  Him  is  the  end 
of  all  our  hopes." 

[By  another:]  "The  light  that  now  shines 
on  you  imposes  on  you  a  deeper  responsi- 
bility for  these  gifts  of  God.  If  you  find 
deep,  deep  in  your  hearts  the  desire  for  God, 
for  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  you 
must  not  dare  to  hold  these  gifts  lightly,  as 
if  they  were  dependent  on  your  will.  They 
are  implanted  in  you  by  God,  to  whom  you 
must  render  account.  But  the  dealings 
of  God  with  you  are  from  a  Father,  not  a 
taskmaster."  .   . 

"In  the  sincere  heart  truth  asserts  its 
sovereignty,  and  every  deep  thought  of 
truth  leads  the  mind  to  God. " 

[By  another:]  "Be  calm  and  trustful; 
the  end  is  not  yet.  But  that  which  you 
earnestly  strive  for,  even  if  not  attained  in 


148.  TRUTH  REVEALED 

your  present  sphere,  will  be  granted  in  full- 
est measure  in  the  day  that  God  appoints. " 
[A  pause.] 

' '  A  word  will  come  to  you  from  beyond ! 

"When  God's  Messengers  come  to  us  we 
must  bid  farewell  to  sense  and  sight.  All 
here  is  in  the  realm  of  faith.  Faith  alone 
can  pierce  the  cloud  and  penetrate  the  thick 
darkness  in  which,  because  of  our  weakness 
and  imperfection,  God  is  veiled.  " 

[A  long  silence,  after  which  these  words 
followed:]  "There  standeth  one  amongst 
you  that  you  know  not ! 

A  change  of  influence  : 

"  'Peace  on  Earth,  good  will  to  men. 

"  'Even  the  peace  of  God,  which  shall 
possess  and  satisfy  your  souls;  for  He  is  the 
end  of  all  your  aspirations  and  desires,  the 
port  of  the  wanderer,  the  home  of  the  exile, 
the  fulfilment  of  your  love. 

"  'Lift  up  your  hearts,  fear  nothing,  for 
His  love  is  around  you.  By  purity  and  love 
prepare  His  tabernacle;  walking  in  His 
presence  go  on  to  perfection  till  your  life, 


TRUTH  REVEALED  149 

being  conformed  to  His  will,  is  no  longer 
yours,  but  His. 

"  '  He  makes  you  partakers  of  His  nature; 
in  you  He  wills  to  dwell,  that  He  may  be 
made  manifest  to  the  world,  and  that  His 
invisible  glory  may  be  revealed.  Open 
your  hearts  to  Him,  that  He  may  rest  and 
dwell  in  you,  and  fill  you  with  the  gifts  of 
love.  Unite  your  weakness  to  His  strength, 
your  imperfection  to  His  holiness ;  bear  your 
human  griefs  with  Him  who  traveled  the 
hard  road  of  sorrow  even  to  the  death  of  the 
cross;  trust  all  to  His  guiding  hand,  and  rest 
in  the  Peace  of  God.  For  the  mountains 
shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed,  but 
His  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  you, 
neither  shall  the  covenant  of  His  peace  be 
removed,  saith  the  Lord,  who  hath  mercy 
upon  you.'" 


* 


[After  reading  aloud  the  words  received  on 
the  previous  occasion,  it  was  written:] 

.  .  .  "Nothing  unites  us  so  closely  as 
our  receiving  these  wonderful  words  to- 
gether, for  they  are  the  very  Life  of  life. 
We  have  our  own  inward  revealings,  as  you 
may  have  in  the  Earth-life;  but  these 
spoken  words,  which  come  to  us  in  clear  and 
distinct  form,  that  you  may  receive  them, 
are  more  to  us  than  the  still  small  voice. 
God  speaks  silently  to  the  silent  heart,  but 
in  these  Messages  of  Grace  He  speaks  as  a 
Father  to  His  children,  and  we  believe  that 
we  can  hear  in  them  the  very  tones  of  the 
Divine  Love.  These  occasions  quicken 
into  a  most  intense  and  vivid  emotion  our 
desire  for  God.  Of  this  we  are  deeply  con- 
scious even  when  resting  in  anticipation. 
150 


TRUTH  REVEALED  151 

What  we  feel  when  the  blessing  is  in  the  act 
of  bestowal  cannot  be  expressed  in  words. " 

What  is  the  nature  of  the  intimation  you 
receive  in  anticipation  of  the  gift  ? 

"The  knowledge  that  a  revelation,  or 
instruction  from  a  higher  sphere,  is  com- 
ing to  us,  is,  as  we  said  before,  conveyed 
by  unknown  channels.  It  is  an  Influence 
that  compels  us  to  deep  solemnity  and  a 
feeling  of  devotion.  This  influence  seems 
to  pervade  our  spiritual  atmosphere.  We 
are  impelled  to  resign  ourselves  to  it  by 
subduing  every  feeling  of  self-will  or  self- 
interest.  All  personal  affections  are  ab- 
sorbed in  the  desire  to  lay  our  souls  open, 
passively,  to  the  influence  of  the  Messenger. 
The  love  of  God  fills  our  hearts,  and  we  dwell 
on  the  knowledge  we  have  of  Him,  and 
of  His  goodness.  Our  whole  being  is,  for 
the  time,  devoted  to  this  Intention.  The 
words  vaguely  fill  the  air  till  the  moment  of 
the  delivery  of  the  Message.  When  he 
speaks,  it  is  to  us  as  an  actual  union  with  the 
Divine.     You   have   It   faintly   shadowed 


152  TRUTH  REVEALED 

in  the  highest  aspiration  you  may  know 
in  prayer  and  spiritual  communion.  But 
for  you,  in  the  flesh,  it  is  impossible  to 
experience,  in  equal  degree,  this  melting  of 
the  individual  nature  into  the  highest  Being 
of  God,  realising  a  union  with  the  Infinite. " 

Do  the  Messages  always  come  to  you  in 
actual  words  ? 

"When  they  are  designed  for  you  in 
Earth-life  they  do,  and  are  given  in  plainest 
form,  that  you  may  be  able  to  receive  them. 
At  other  times  we  have  communion  by 
thought.  These  Messages  are  primarily  for 
you  in  trust.  When  you  read  them  aloud 
we  have  a  sense  of  the  influence  of  the 
higher  ones  who  bring  them. " 

What  are  your  impressions  of  them,  the 
Messengers  ? 

"They  seem  to  be  in  a  state  of  absolute 
rest  and  calm,  for  their  understanding  and 
will  are  united  to  the  Divine  by  love.  We 
do  not  think  of  them  as  obedient  to  God, 
but  as  united  to  Him.  Their  time  of  dis- 
cipline, as  we  think  of  discipline,  is  past,  and 


TRUTH  REVEALED  153 

they  are  ever  actively  engaged  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  God's  will.  There  is  no 
more  taking  up  of  the  cross,  or  conquering 
of  self,  but  in  doing  God's  will  they  continu- 
ally advance — for  he  that  watereth  shall  be 
watered  himself.  If  they  recall  their  past 
on  Earth,  even  in  faintest  memory,  they 
must  be  filled  with  a  sense  of  their  own 
unworthiness  and  cover  their  faces  before 
Him.  But  for  them  penitence  is  of  the 
past.  Wherein  they  serve  God  except  in 
ministering  to  His  children  we  know  not. 

"You  may  think  of  us  as  calm  and 
sheltered,  and  so  we  are  from  the  physical 
trials  that  beset  you,  for  they  lie  behind  us. 
But  in  our  difficulties  and  struggles  we  look 
forward  to  the  next  step  we  shall  take,  hop- 
ing that  there  we  shall  find  complete  rest. 
But  only  in  the  teachings  of  the  highest  ai*e 
we  told  of  a  state  of  perfect  peace ;  and  even 
then  it  is  not  the  peace  of  completed  work 
but  of  unity  with  the  will  of  God. 

"We  are  quite  able  to  perceive  degrees  of 
perfection  among  those  who  have  passed 


154  TRUTH  REVEALED 

beyond  into  the  higher  spheres.  Some  of 
them  seem  as  far  above  us  as  the  stars  of 
heaven  are  above  you;  but  all  are  bound 
together  in  an  unbroken  chain,  forever 
ascending. 

"The  farther  we  advance,  the  more 
gladly  we  dwell  on  the  thought  of  eternity, 
in  which  we  may  ever  grow  nearer  to  God 
— 'Oh,  blessed,  endless  eternity,  wherein 
shall  grow  continually  the  love  of  the  Holy 
Will  of  God.'" 

[A  pause  of  some  moments:]  ' '  My  mother, 
who  guides  my  power  when  I  am  communing 
with  you,  is  going  to  speak  with  you  by  me. 
She  has  passed  beyond  all  the  surroundings 
that  still  keep  us  near  the  Earth-sphere;  but 
she  can,  by  me,  give  you  her  own  words." 
[A  pause,  followed  by  a  change  in  the  writing, 
which  was  very  faint.] 

"  'I  will  speak  to  you  by  my  son. 

"  'The  Angels  come  to  visit  you,  to  give 
you  a  glimpse  of  your  Home,  and  to  draw 
your  hearts  thither. 


TRUTH  REVEALED  155 

"'Learn  what  is  the  Vision  of  Peace 
which  the  Blessed  see,  when  the  storms  of 
Earth-Hfe  are  past,  and  we  stand  on  the 
threshold  of  our  true  and  everlasting  Home. 

"  'We  behold  the  Eternal  Truth  as  you 
behold  the  light  of  the  sun — without  inten- 
tion, or  effort.  God  gives  to  each  of  us, 
in  our  measure,  of  Himself;  we  partake  of 
His  nature,  and  share  in  the  work  of  the 
Father's  House. 

"  'Without,  you  still  have  to  fight  with 
evil.  Within,  strengthened  by  conflict, 
the  sheltered  soul  grows  in  the  grace  and 
beauty  of  holiness.  Wait  in  hope,  till,  at- 
taining all  you  now  long  for,  you  rest  in 
the  sight  of  God  and  are  filled  with  His 
overflowing  love. ' " 

[The  former  resuming:]  "This  is  a  rare 
power,  seldom  available — that  which  Hnks 
those  beyond  us  directly  with  you  in  the 
Earth-life.  There  must  be  a  sympathetic 
chain  making  the  means  of  communion 
continuous  and  unbroken  through  two 
distinct  spheres.     These  conditions,  neces- 


156  TRUTH  REVEALED 

sary  for  conscious'  intercourse,  are  not 
essential  in  spiritual  communion.  In  mo- 
ments of  exalted  aspiration  you  are  fitted  to 
hold  with  the  higher  spheres  a  communion 
that  is  more  real,  because  it  is  more  spiritual. 
Then  you  may  experience  an  essential 
union,  the  true  intercourse  of  spirit  with 
spirit  through  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
— which  is  'wider  than  human  life,  and 
deeper  than  human  need. ' " 


*       * 


[In  reply  to  questions  asked  concerning 
*'the  Blessed/'  the  follozving  was  communi- 
cated:] 

"We  know  so  much  as  this :  that  what  we 
long  for,  and  make  an  effort  to  see,  is  poured 
forth  before  them  without  check,  or  hin- 
drance. But  we  beHeve  they  are  ever 
earnestly  seeking  for  a  further  manifesta- 
tion, for  something  beyond  what  is  possible 
for  them  to  communicate  to  us. 

"The  Divine  within  us  is  ever  seeking  to 
free  itself  from  limitation;  and  this  must 
still  be  so,  in  their  degree,  even  with  those 
who  dwell  in  the  higher  spheres.  Each 
stage  of  life,  while  passing,  must  seem  lim- 
ited according  to  its  ideal  standard,  but 
in  every  successive  stage  the  sight  is  ever 
growing  clearer,  while  the  aims  and  aspir- 
157 


158  TRUTH  REVEALED 

ations  are  continually  expanding.  Your 
struggle  is  for  freedom;  ours  is  for  purity; 
especially  that  purity  which  belongs  to  the 
attainment  of  higher  virtue,  rather  than 
the  laying  down  of  definite  sin.  Purity  is 
the  abandonment  of  the  creature  for  the 
Creator,  seeking  happiness  alone  in  the 
presence  of  Light  and  Holiness." 

[By  another:]  "Each  spirit,  we,  or  you, 
or  others  of  a  higher  sphere,  serving  God 
as  He  appoints,  is  part  of  a  Divine  order, 
and  the  purpose  each  has  to  fulfil  is  a  sacred 
work.  God  needs  each  one,  and  He  has  an 
end  to  accomplish  by  each  one.  Is  your 
life  a  struggle  to  accomplish  something? 
If  not,  it  is  no  life  at  all.  The  light  is  given 
that  you  may  follow  it  wherever  it  leads; 
not  merely  are  you  to  rest  in  its  contem- 
plation." 

[The  former,  resuming,  after  a  pause:] 
"You  cannot  realise  what  power  is  now  be- 
ing put  forth  to  enable  this  means  to  be 
complete  for  the  expression  of  a  word 
from  beyond.     Only  for  a  time  does  a  wave 


TRUTH  REVEALED  159 

of  force  and  light  put  it  in  our  power  to  act 
thus  consciously  on  you;  for,  as  you  know, 
it  is  a  question  of  times  and  seasons,  and 
now  we  are  concentrating  all  our  strength.  " 
[After  a  silence  the  following  was  communi- 
cated under  another  influence:] 

"  *  God,  the  eternal  Giver  of  Life,  delights 
in  the  free-will  offering  of  love.  Yield 
yourselves  to  Him,  whose  Divine  Will  is  the 
law  of  our  world.  Cast  all  your  love  and 
desires  and  purposes  and  aims  and  hopes 
into  that  unknown  Will,  till  He  draws  you 
to  Himself.  He  will  take  you  beyond  the 
reach  of  weakness  and  fear.  The  light  of 
truth  and  knowledge  will  shine  on  you. 
Around  you  shall  be  shed  joy  everlasting, 
flowing  forth  from  the  encompassing  flood 
of  the  Love  of  God. 

"  'To  the  lover  of  purity  and  the  seeker 
after  good,  every  good  gift  shall  be  given. 
All  good  gifts  are  from  the  Father  of  Light. 
The  word  of  the  Father  of  spirits,  the  King 
of  the  true  kingdom,  is  your  rock  of  hope. ' ' ' 


* 
*       * 

[May  i6,  1885.] 

It  was  written : 

.  .  .  "We  must  prepare  our  hearts 
when  we  hope  for  direct  communion  with 
the  Saints.  We  avoid  all  distractions, 
whether  of  companionship  or  thought. 
We  perform  all  our  duties  with  a  quiet 
thought  of  the  gift  we  hope  for.  Maintain- 
ing silence,  outward  and  inward,  we  speak 
only  with  those  who  share  our  aspirations. 
Our  thoughts  being  thus  restrained,  as  by  a 
calm  and  passive  resting  in  God,  we  find 
ourselves  prepared  to  receive  the  great 
gift. 

"All  are  gathering,  for  we  know  that  the 
heavens  will  soon  be  opened. " 

[A  long  silence  ensued,  when  the  following 
words  were  communicated  slowly,  as  if  dic- 
tated sentence  by  sentence:] 
160 


TRUTH  REVEALED  i6i 

"  'I,  the  messenger  of  God,  come  from 
the  land  of  light  and  beauty. 

"  *  I  come  in  the  name  of  the  Light  of  the 
World,  in  whom  the  distant  is  drawn  near, 
and  before  whose  presence  darkness  and 
sorrow  and  sighing  have  fled  away. 

"'Lift  up  your  hearts,  for  upon  your 
seeking  spirits  shines  the  Light  of  God, 
brighter,  clearer,  purer,  diviner  than  hath 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive, 
and  in  that  Holy  Light  each  thought  and 
act  is  revealed. 

"'Draw  near  to  God,  who  dwelleth  in 
light,  veiled  in  the  brightness  of  His  infinite 
glory  from  the  eyes  of  His  creatures;  fall 
down  before  Him  and  open  your  hearts 
to  the  influences  of  His  Spirit. 

"  *  Set  your  affections  on  the  things  which 
are  of  God,  on  the  infinite,  the  abiding,  the 
eternal ;  these  only  are  worthy  of  your  love, 
for  you  are  made  only  for  Him,  and  to 
become  like  Him  is  your  heavenly  heritage. 
Render  humbly  to  Him  the  sacrifice  of 
your  will,  striving  for  the  angelic  constancy 


i62  TRUTH  REVEALED 

of  obedience,  and  His  love  will  draw  you 
near  and  blend  your  wills  in  harmony  with 
His  divine  will.  Let  the  joys  of  earth 
become  to  you  but  the  shadows  of  the  true; 
lay  down  your  earthly  cares,  look  up  to 
that  pure  Light,  the  source  of  perfectness 
and  peace,  and  its  beams  shall  kindle  in 
your  hearts  the  love  of  God,  in  whose  pres- 
ence and  blessing  you  shall  forever  rest. 

"  *To  you  shall  be  granted  a  foretaste  of 
the  reward  of  those  who  love  with  single- 
ness of  heart;  you  shall  conceive  of  sweet 
delights  which  absorb  and  transport  the 
spirit — freed  from  the  burden  of  the  flesh — 
whose  desires  are  fixed  on  things  eternal. 
So  shall  God  show  you  Himself,  and  all 
things  in  Himself.  He  will  dispel  all 
darkness  and  ignorance  and  imperfection, 
and  shall  bring  you  out  of  the  uncertainty 
of  hopes  and  questionings,  into  the  desire 
and  love  and  light  of  wisdom.  There,  in 
that  celestial  Light,  all  joy,  all  happiness  is 
found.  Out  of  His  treasury  are  shed  forth 
heavenly  blessings  for  the  portion  of    all 


TRUTH  REVEALED  163 

those  who  will  open  their  hearts  to  receive 
the  gift  of  His  love,  and  to  rejoice  in  the 
blessing  of  the  Mighty  God.  They  shall  be 
abundantly  satisfied  with  the  plenteousness 
of  His  House,  and  He  shall  make  them  to 
drink  of  His  pleasures  as  of  a  river. 

"  '0,  Lord  of  Hosts,  blessed  in  the  man 
that  trusteth  in  Thee !  "* 

[Subsequently  the  following  was  communi- 
cated in  reply  to  questions  asked:] 

"A  cloud  of  witnesses  filled  the  air  when 
your  great  gift  came.  When  we  receive, 
with  you,  these  revelations  from  above,  we 
are  filled  with  thanksgiving,  and  cherish 
the  lingering  influence  long  after  the  voice 
has  passed  away.  For  it  opens  to  us  the 
gate  of  heaven. 

"These  Messages  link  us  with  the  saints, 
and  aid  us  in  holding  a  more  intimate  inter- 
course with  them.  After  such  a  gift  we 
cling  to  the  influence  that  still  hovers  about 
us,  uplifting  our  minds,  if  not  taking  pos- 
session.    Let  us  desire  further  illumination, 


164  TRUTH  REVEALED 

and  be  very  jealous  of  any  interest  which 
may  disturb  our  thought — 'Lord,  it  is  good 
to  be  here!  I  will  not  let  Thee  go  except 
Thou  bless  me.'" 


[After  reading  aloud  the  words  received  on 
the  former  occasion,  the  following  was  written 
in  reply  to  questions  asked: — ] 

.  .  .  "  The  thoughts  and  feelings  inspired 
by  the  Messages  are  so  deeply  engraven 
on  our  hearts  that  we  can  trace  in  each 
other  their  effect.  A  distinct  step  seems 
taken  in  our  spiritual  life.  They  influence 
all  our  motives,  our  every  thought  and  act. 
Having  told  you  of  our  preparation  for 
these  gifts,  I  now  tell  you  of  our  attitude 
after  receiving  them. " 

[By  another:]  "God  always  grants  you 
that  to  which  you  aspire,  the  measure  of 
knowledge  that  is  meet  for  you.  You  can- 
not look  beyond  the  veil,  but  just  enough 
light  shines  through  to  show  you  there  is  a 

veil.     And  if  you  press  forward  earnestly, 
165 


I66  TRUTH  REVEALED 

and  take  joyfully  each  new  ray  that  is  shed 
forth,  the  veil  will  dissolve  before  your 
eyes,  and  you  will  be  filled  with  a  new  meas- 
ure of  light  and  wisdom  and  glory.  For  the 
spirit  advances  ever,  piercing  the  clouds  it 
attains  new  heights,  sees  new  treasures  with- 
in its  reach,  and  passes  from  glory  to  glory. " 

[By  another:]  "Trial  and  suffering  and 
humiliation  have  a  real  value  for  one  who 
has  learned  to  measure  all  things  by  the 
standard  of  eternity ;  they  detach  the  mind 
from  earthly  things,  and  instil  a  desire  to 
become  fit  for  a  higher  work.  But  that 
which  makes  life  smooth  and  pleasant  veils 
the  heavenly  horison.     Remember!" 

[By  another:]  "Live  ever  in  the  know- 
ledge of  the  love  of  the  Highest,  for  love 
turns  the  crown  of  thorns  into  one  of  gold, 
and  under  its  light  the  wave  of  trouble 
flashes  with  heavenly  brightness.  Love 
rules  the  Infinite  Heart,  and  they  who  yield 
to  the  dominion  of  love  bear  the  seal  of 
sonship.  [A  pause.]  We  hear  a  voice  from 
beyond!" 


TRUTH  REVEALED  167 

["  From  the  sphere  of  the  Blessed"":] 

'"Now  is  your  night,  but  the  morning 
Cometh. 

"'They  who  live  in  Spirit,  in  the  light  of 
the  resplendent  City  of  God,  need  never 
shrink  from  His  Messengers,  at  whatever 
hour,  or  under  whatever  strange  form  they 
may  come. 

"'We  draw  near,  and  nearer  still,  to  the 
presence  of  the  Divine  Father,  in  sure 
confidence  that  we  shall  at  length  rest 
in  the  eternal  temple  of  peace.  God  is 
the  eternal  fulness,  whose  goodness  is 
ever  overflowing.  On  earth  was  the  seed- 
time, now  is  the  spring-tide  of  blossom, 
and  hereafter  shall  be  the  harvest.  Then 
the  twilight  gloamed  around  us;  beyond 
us  glows  the  everlasting  light.  In  some 
happier  future  we  shall  know  that  this,  our 
high  noon  of  blessing,  was  but  the  seed-time 
of  a  more  glorious  ingathering  of  the  harvest 
of  truth,'" 


[JUNB   21,    1885.] 

It  was  written  : 

.  .  .  "Our  minds  now  blend  harmo- 
niously, and  we  look  on  this  unity  as  one 
of  the  clearest  signs  of  progress.  We  are 
many,  yet  one;  and  in  this  bond  you  are 
united  with  us. 

"They  who  have  begun  the  spiritual 
life  on  Earth  are  wonderfully  stimulated  by 
the  beauty  and  goodness  to  which  their 
eyes  are  opened  when  they  come  here,  and 
this  lends  an  effective  force  to  their  effort 
to  overcome  all  obstacles  to  progress.  This 
early,  eager  impulse,  gradually  subsides  into 
steadfast,  persistent  endeavor,  and  becomes 
calmer  as  we  advance.  .  .  .  Our  surround- 
ings all  tend  to  promote  the  good  and  expel 
the  evil,  often  unconsciously  to  ourselves. 

When  the  need  of  effort  grows  less,  then  we 
168 


TRUTH  REVEALED  169 

know  we  are  advancing.  .  .  .  The  reward 
of  obedience  is  the  inward  manifestation 
of  the  Divine  Presence,  and  the  joy  and 
triumph  of  having  over  come  the  world.  .  .  . 
Self-love  and  self-will  stand  between  the 
heart  and  God.  Commit  your  way  to 
Him,  and  trust  in  Him  wholly,  for  He 
brings  all  to  pass.     [A  pause.] 

"Above  us  is  the  light  which  betokens 
a  heavenly  presence.  We  dare  not  dispel 
the  power  now  by  individual  messages,  but 
all  unite  in  saying:  Live  ever  in  the  reali- 
sation of  the  true  spiritual  life,  the  invisible 
kingdom  of  Truth  and  Love ;  now  no  longer 
hidden  from  you  but  the  real  home  of  the 
soul." 

[After  a  prolonged  silence  the  following  was 
communicated  under  another  influence:] 

* '  *  Prepare  your  hearts ! 

"'He  passeth  by  who  is  the  hidden 
God. 

* ' '  The  shadowing  veil  is  lifted ;  He  passeth 
by  who  is  the  King  of  Love. 


I70  TRUTH  REVEALED 

"'With  the  adoring  host  of  the  Blessed 
He  reveals  to  you  the  special  Presence  of 
the  great  invisible  One,  and  with  still  small 
voice  He  murmurs  to  the  soul  divine  secrets, 
beyond  the  power  of  human  utterance. 

"'Commit  your  way  to  God,  and  stay 
your  heart  on  the  Eternal.  Dwell  here 
and  now  and  ever  in  the  true  home  of  your 
waiting  hearts,  in  the  heavenly  eden  of 
peace,  and  rejoice  in  the  love  of  God  with 
His  living  children. 

" '  Awake,  0  Winds  of  God !  breathe  on  us 
the  Breath  of  Life,  and  bear  our  oblation 
of  praise  to  the  Throne  of  Light. 

"  *  Open  to  us,  0  loving  Master,  the  higher 
mansions  of  purity  and  blessedness,  where 
Thou  abidest  ever,  that  we  may  rejoice 
continually  in  Thy  beauty  and  glory,  and 
dwell  in  the  paradise  of  delights  where 
shines  the  Day  of  God.  * " 

[After  a  solemn  stillness  a  Vision  ensued 
to  the  one  in  trance;  the  following  words 
*'were  spoken  with  great  calmness  and  gentle- 


TRUTH  REVEALED  171 

ness,  as   if  to   each   one   separately''    and 
transmitted  by  the  writing:] 

"Peace  be  with  you:  My  peace  I  give 

UNTO  YOU." 


[In  reply  to  questions  asked,  relative  to 
their  own  experience  on  that  great  occasion , 
the  following  was  communicated:] 

* '  You  are  to  bear  two  words  in  mind  when 
you  dwell  on  that  last  gift.  One  is,  '  Your 
joy  no  man  can  take  from  you':  and  the 
other  is,  'Thanks  be  to  God  for  His  unspeak- 
able gift.' 

"This  is  one  of  the  many  good  things 
that  come  by  earnest  seeking.  The  stead- 
fast endeavor  of  all  earnest  will  is  never  in 
vain. 

"The  revelation  of  what  was  coming 
dawned  on  us  suddenly  and  unexpectedly. 
There  was  the  sense  of  a  higher  influence, 
and  a  quickening  of  the  power  exerted  over 
us  by  the  Blessed.  Then,  suddenly,  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  presence  of  the  Messengers 
172 


TRUTH  REVEALED  173 

amongst  us,  with  the  promise  of  our  highest 
blessing.  All  the  holy  ones  we  know  of,  or 
can  conceive  of,  seemed  to  encompass  us 
with  their  power,  heralding  the  coming 
of  One  who  is  their  Master  and  King. 

"'Prepare  your  hearts,'  was  spoken  by 
those  immediately  beyond  us.  Then  came 
the  words  of  the  messenger  who  brought 
your  first  great  Message.  He  spoke  in 
plainest  words.  The  Message  that  fol- 
lowed was  from  the  higher  order,  unitedly, 
beginning  with  the  words,  'Commit  your 
way  to  God,'  and  who  were  influenced  to 
give  it  by  a  greater  than  they.  Their 
offering  of  praise  was  spoken;  and  the  peti- 
tion that  followed  it  came  to  us  in  the  words 
of  the  Blessed. 

"The  Blessing  of  Peace — we  need  not  tell 
you  its  source. 

"We  receive  these  higher  revelations  only 
in  the  presence  of  those  who  are  still  in  the 
Earth-life;  God  having  so  ordered  it  that 
'we  without  you  should  not  be  made  per- 
fect.'    He  manifests  Himself  in  different 


174  TRUTH  REVEALED 

ways  amongst  the  different  orders  of  His 
children,  and  it  is  only  when  all  are  united 
by  an  intense  interest,  which  really  is  unity 
of  will,  that  a  perfect  vision,  or  manifesta- 
tion of  Him,  can  be  given.  We  know,  too, 
that  the  Blessed  never  receive  their  highest 
gifts  except  when  some  of  us,  in  the  spirit 
land,  are  united  with  them  in  thought  and 
heart.  Those  who  are  far  beyond  the 
Blessed,  whose  will  is  in  perfect  and  abso- 
lute harmony  with  the  Divine,  dwell  con- 
tinually in  the  Vision  of  Peace. 

"We  have  twice  before  seen  this  Great 
Vision  in  your  presence,  but  our  power  over 
you  was  not  then  sufficient  for  us  to  convey 
it  to  you.  One  occasion  was  when  you  re- 
ceived your  third  great  Message — '  Behold 
the  Love  of  God.'  The  other  occasion  was 
just  before  the  long  interruption,  when 
those  few  words  were  given  from  on  high — 
'Strive,  strive,  strive,  till  hope  brightens 
into  sight  and  rest  is  won.  The  Promise 
of  God  standeth  sure . '  Had  you  but  known 
it,  the  promise  was  then  certain  that  at  a 


TRUTH  REVEALED  175 

coming  day  the  blessing  of  His  conscious 
Presence  would  be  yours. 

"Sight  is  rarely  given  to  those  in  Earth- 
life.  Those  with  us  here  to  whom  it  has  not 
yet  been  granted  to  see,  as  we  now  see,  are 
conscious  only  of  a  feeling  of  deep  solemnity 
and  awe,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  won- 
derful Presence  which  inspires  them.  Had 
you  dissipated  your  thought  with  attention 
to  external  manifestations  in  this  inter- 
course, even  in  the  slightest  degree,  you 
would  have  been  incapable  of  supplying 
the  link  we  need  with  Earth-life,  and  you 
would  have  been  far  removed  from  the 
possibility  of  sharing  with  us  this  great 
and  wonderful  blessing. " 


[The  following  was  in  reply  to  questions 
asked  concerning  the  various  *' spheres''  of 
the  life  to  come.] 

.  .  .  "All  conflict  must  be  over  before 
we  can  pass  from  this  sphere  to  a  higher 
one.  There  is  a  great  difference  between 
that  willing  obedience  to  God's  will  which 
can  be  attained  in  its  completeness  here, 
and  that  perfect  conscious  unity  with  it 
after  which  the  Blessed  strive,  and  which 
even  there  is  not  attained  in  its  per- 
fection." 

[The  question  was  asked,  mentally ,  whether 

they  recognized  more  than  three  general  stages, 

or  ''spheres,'"  of  which  some  knowledge  had 

been  gained  through  the  previous  intercourse: 

namely,  the  ''spirit  world, "  the  sphere  of  "the 
176 


TRUTH  REVEALED  177 

Blessed,''  and  that  celestial  realm  from 
whence  the  Messengers  came  forth.  It  was 
answered  by  the  writing:] 

"We  know  from  those  who  influence  us 
(the  Blessed)  that  there  is  between  their 
world  and  that  of  the  great  ones  at  least  one 
sphere,  which  bears  the  same  relation  to 
their  life  (the  Blessed)  that  ours  does  to  the 
Earth-life." 

What  are  your  chief  means  of  progress? 

"There  are  many  and  various  functions 
necessary  to  the  development  of  the  human 
soul,  duties  which  you  recognise  as  pertain- 
ing to  physical,  mental,  and  social  life.  But 
with  us,  here,  the  training  and  discipline 
of  the  spirit  is  our  absorbing  interest;  and  as 
violent  transitions  are  hurtful  in  our  world, 
as  in  yours,  this  training  is  at  first  accom- 
plished by  means  of  duties  connected  either 
with  the  Earth-life,  or  with  those  who  are 
lowest  in  the  spirit-world.  The  perfecting 
of  the  spirit  is  our  means  of  progress. " 

What  is  the  nature  of  the  change  in  passing 
frojn  sphere  to  sphere? 


178  TRUTH  REVEALED 

"The  change  in  passing  from  this  sphere 
to  the  one  beyond  is  greater  than  the  change 
you  will  experience  when  you  pass  into  this 
life;  it  is  more  marked;  but  less  so,  we  are 
told,  when  those  beyond  us  pass  into  a 
still  higher  sphere.  All  conflict  must  be 
over,  as  I  have  said,  before  we  can  pass 
into  the  next  sphere." 

What  relation  does  one  sphere  bear  to 
another  ? 

*' We  have  learned  that  each  stage  of  life 
has  its  two  spheres,  linked  together  in  the 
same  relation  that  exists  between  what  you 
call  the  material  and  the  spiritual  worlds. 
But  in  our  intercourse  with  higher  spheres 
little  is  told  us  of  what  would  correspond  to 
the  idea  of  physical  or  material  conditions 
there,  for  most  of  us  have  but  little  interest 
in  that  inquiry  compared  to  the  things  that 
relate  to  our  spiritual  progress,  and  we 
know  that  such  knowledge  cannot  be 
clearly  conve^^ed.  Now  we  would  turn 
away  from  these  thoughts,  for  they  do 
not  concern  our  real  life. " 


TRUTH  REVEALED  179 

[By  another:]  "If  it  is  God's  will,  in 
drawing  you  to  the  spiritual  life,  to  use  an 
outward  ministration,  as  well  as  the  silent 
influence  of  His  Messengers,  the  weakest 
instrument  is  the  fittest,  for  then  it  is  mani- 
fest that  you  must  look  to  a  power  beyond 
yourselves  for  these  communications,  and 
there  is  less  temptation  to  self-exaltation, 
less  danger  of  self-deception,  and  of  neces- 
sity you  look  to  the  Father  of  all,  invisibly 
working  by  human  means  and  manifesting 
His  Presence  by  organs  borrowed  from  His 
creatures. 

"God  shows  you  Himself.  He  does  not 
need  to  show  you  how  to  approach  Him, 
or  how  to  serve  and  worship  Him,  for  the 
knowledge  of  Him  calls  forth  a  response 
from  your  hearts.  He  reveals  what  He  is, 
and  this  revelation  of  the  Divine  Fullness 
is  infinite  in  duration  and  development; 
for  His  gifts  partake  of  the  infinity  and 
eternity  of  His  love.  Such  a  gift  as  you 
have  received  was  a  direct  ray  from  His 
sacred  Presence,  kindling  inner  light.  '* 


i8o  TRUTH  REVEALED 

[By  another,  in  reply  to  a  question:]  * '  The 
natural  effect  of  Earth-life  is  a  tendency  to 
limit  thought  by  things  human  and  finite. 
You  are  inclined  to  dwell  too  much  in  the 
sense  of  time,  as  implied  in  Eternal  Life. 
Earnest  effort  and  the  desire  for  good  is 
Eternal  Life,  for  it  is  a  partaking  of  the 
nature  of  the  Eternal  One,  who  wills  only 
good,  whom  we  seek  to  approach,  and  whom 
to  know  is  Eternal  Life. " 


[August  i6,  1885.] 

//  was  written  : 

...  "A  new  influence  is  present, 
controlling  the  power.  I  cannot  name  it. 
He  has  a  special  end  in  view  and  dictates 
from  a  distance.  I  will  interpret  his 
thought  in  my  own  words,  for  the  power  is 
given  in  a  strange  form : 

"Those  who  have  suffered  struggle  and 

conflict  are  better  fitted  for  higher  work  in 

the  next  spheres,  they  who  have  borne  the 

burden   and   heat   of   the   day,    who    are 

strengthened  by  trial,  they  do  here  a  work 

for  God  and  draw  the  world  to  a  knowledge 

of  His  truth.     Each  has  a  special  blessing; 

the  strong  do  a  divine  work,  while  those 

who  dwell  in  innocence  and  peace  aid  with 

their  prayers,  and  in  the  end  shall  crown 

with  their  love  the  victor  in  many  conflicts. 
181 


i82  TRUTH  REVEALED 

"  Now  he  speaks .     I  will  give  you  his  own 
words : 

"'Let  all  earthly  care  be  as  nothing; 
welcome  as  blessings  the  evils  of  life ;  see  in 
its  sadness,  joy;  and  in  its  thorns,  a  crown; 
for  by  them  the  Hand  of  God  is  moulding  you 
to  do  work  in  His  higher  kingdom.  He 
purifies  by  outward  fire  the  inward  evil; 
He  draws  the  heart  from  a  world  of  weariness 
and  care,  to  find  eternal  peace  and  rest  in 
Him.  His  love  is  everywhere,  and  always, 
round  you.  But  now,  with  love  surpassing 
all,  more  tender,  more  intense,  more  loving 
than  heart  can  conceive.  He  overshadows 
you  with  Hispersonal  Presence,  and  breathes 
on  you  power  and  life.  In  that  Presence 
is  fullness  of  joy,  of  glory,  power,  wisdom; 
only  the  dim  shadow  can  be  seen,  but  all 
is  there,  proceeding  from  Him,  abiding  in 
Him ;  and  in  endless  happiness  you  will  one 
day  receive  it  all  through  His  Love.  In  the 
calm  moment  of  His  Presence  the  clouds  of 
Earth  will  part  and  reveal  a  glimpse  of  the 


TRUTH  REVEALED  183 

Heavenly  Land  illumined  with  the  pure 
Love  of  God.'" 

[A  pause  of  some  minutes*  duration.] 

"We  see  the  bright  light  that  surrounds 
the  Messenger.  We  see  only  by  the  will 
of  those  who  come;  not  by  our  own  power. 

"  The  Presence  is  coming  amongst  us,  and 
likewise  a  great  company  of  those  who  share 
our  gifts.     For  One  will  come." 

[A  long  silence  ensued,  the  following  being 
given  under  another  influence:] 

"'He  draws  near  who  is  the  Light  of 
Hope,  the  Crown  of  Day;  He  who  is  the 
perfection  of  wisdom,  who  sees  the  deepest 
meaning  of  hidden  mystery. 

"'His  coming  is  heralded  with  celestial 
light,  for  He  is  the  Leader  of  the  armies 
of  God's  angels,  who  go  forth  to  conquer 
all  evil  with  the  power  of  Love  and  Truth. 

"'Here  is  that  Divine  Heart  which  lives 
for  you;  He  who  comes  to  lighten  sorrow 
and  care;  He  who  has  ever  loved  you. ' " 


i84  TRUTH  REVEALED 

[.4  silence  was  followed  by  a  Vision,  as 
before;  in  which  these  words  were  spoken, 
and  transmitted  to  the  others  by  the  writing:] 

"If  YE  LOVE  ME,  YE  SHALL  BE  LOVED  OF 

God;  and  I  will  love  you,  and  manifest 

MYSELF  TO  YOU.  " 


[Januaby  3,  1886.] 

//  was  written: 

...  "No  preparation  for  these  gifts 
is  so  effectual  as  a  life  of  active  charity  a  nd 
inward  faith.  A  blessing  is  only  awaiting 
the  complete  establishment  of  the  power, 
to  be  given  you.  We  all  are  waiting  with 
you,  for  we  never  receive  these  gifts  in  such 
full  measure  as  when  we  are  made  the 
channel  of  blessing  for  those  in  Earth-life.  '* 

[By  another:]  "Sorrow  and  care  may 
truly  be  said  to  be  turned  into  joy  for  those 
who  live  the  life  of  the  Spirit,  because  your 
penalty  has  then  become  your  purification. 
Trials  do  their  work  of  conforming  your 
will  to  the  Divine.  They  who  earnestly 
seek  patience  and  a  calm  spirit,  and  con- 
sent to  bear  whatever  burdens  are  laid  upon 
them,  soon  reap  the  first  fruits  by  that 
185 


i86  TRUTH  REVEALED 

restful  calm  with  which  they  encounter 
whatever  may  befall  them  in  the  day  of 
their  appointed  time.  Thus  are  earthly 
things  united  with  heavenly,  and  by  the 
infusion  of  angelic  peace  and  good  will 
are  you  made  partakers  of  the  life  of  the 
Blessed." 

[After  an  interval  the  following  was  com- 
municated ''from  the  sphere  of  the  Blessed'' :] 

*"A  Light  shall  arise  in  obscurity,  and 
darkness  shall  be  as  the  noonday;  for 
around  you  shines  the  light  of  a  brighter 
land,  and  those  who  draw  near  to  you  dwell 
among  the  angels,  and  are  fulfilled  with  the 
Vision  of  Peace. 

'"Let  the  true  Light  find  in  your  spirits 
a  quiet  abiding  place;  so  shall  it  enrich 
the  barren  pathway  of  care  which  leads 
to  the  Land  of  Peace,  and  shines  ever  more 
and  more  till  dawns  for  you  the  Perfect  Day. 

"  *  For  you  have  passed  through  the  Gate 
of  Life;  woe  and  conflict  have  ceased 
to  affright  you,  and  eternal  refreshment 
has    begun.      Soon    shall    you    see    what 


TRUTH  REVEALED  187 

now  you  believe,  possess  what  you  now 
desire,  and  attain  to  the  joys  of  the  life  of 
the  Blessed.  Here  the  hunger  of  the  spirit 
is  stilled ;  here  is  found  its  peaceful  rest ;  here, 
perfectly  renewed,  each  power  blossoms 
into  fullest  life  and  is  offered  in  service  to 
the  King  of  our  love. 

"'Here  the  depths  of  the  heart  are 
sounded;  here  the  forces  of  the  spirit  un- 
folded; here  the  aspirations  of  humanity 
attain  fullest  perfection  under  the  enkind- 
ling light  of  the  Vision  of  God. 

"  '  Look  forward  through  the  endless  path 
of  life  which  has  opened  before  you,  wherein 
you  shall  rejoice  ever  in  the  Love  of  God, 
till,  united  to  Him,  you  possess  Him  wholly, 
and  share  His  fullness  for  evermore. ' " 

I"  Several  voices,  unitedly,  from  the  sphere 
of  the  Blessed'' :] 

"'Come!  spirits  of  Hght  and  beauty; 
come!  visions  of  purity,  encircling  band  of 
Heaven's  own  brightness;  come  from  that 
Celestial  Land,  and  give  us,  who  wait  in 
longing,    a    glimpse    of    your    changeless 


I88  TRUTH  REVEALED 

peace,  who  dwell  in  the  unveiled  presence 
of  God.'" 

[''By  one  voice — a  Messenger'':]  "*He 
who  is  encompassed  with  ineffable  light 
shall  so  infuse  Himself  into  your  spirits  that 
His  Presence  may  be  made  manifest  in  your 
midst.  He  will  nourish  and  sustain  you, 
and  fill  you  with  the  joys  of  Paradise. ' " 

['By  many  angels'':]  *''Hail!  0  Holy, 
Living  Life,  whose  unsearchable  wisdom 
disposes  all  things  in  perfect  order.  Hail! 
Thou  Fountain  of  life  and  beauty,  who 
sheds  forth  blessing  forever.  Guide  and 
preserve  Thy  children  who  call  on  Thee, 
and  shelter  them  through  the  storms  which 
are  bringing  them  daily  nearer  to  the  haven 
of  rest  and  glory."* 

[A  silence  was  followed  hy  a  Vision,  in 
which  the  following  words  were  audibly 
spoken  as  before,  and  were  simultaneously 
transmitted  to  the  others  by  the  writing:] 

"To  HIM  THAT  OVERCOMETH  I  WILL  GIVE 
OF  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  TREE  OF  LIFE,  IN  THE 
MIDST  OF  THE  PARADISE  OF  GOD.  " 


*        * 


[A  parting  word.] 

"  *Lift  your  eyes  to  the  hills  of  light,  the 
dawning  Day  is  at  hand.  Go  forth  on  your 
mission  fearlessly;  God's  is  the  Hand  which 
guides  you  onward.  Manifest  your  light  to 
man,  the  creature  of  His  Hand,  who  now 
gropes  in  darkness  and  despair. 

**'0,  Divine  Light,  that  illumines  the 
path  of  the  beloved  of  God.  Work  while  it 
is  called  to-day,  for  night  cometh,  and  with 
the  night  comes  rest  to  the  faithful  soul.'" 
[After  a  pause  it  was  asked:] 

From  whom  are  these  words? 

"The  Sent  of  God." 

[This  channel  of  conscious  communion,  was 
closed  with  these  words,  on  a  subsequent  oc- 
casion:] "Waiting  for  the  dawn;  the  Day 

breaks  so  gradually,  sending  forth  these 
189 


I90  TRUTH  REVEALED 

rays,  and  then  again  obscured.  But  that 
the  fullest  Day  is  at  hand  we  know,  and 
give  thanks. 

"Those  living  words  fill  all  voids  and 
abide  forever — 'To  him  that  overcometh.' 
And  this,  even  this  very  thing  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh  the  world — even  our  faith. 
Every  sorrow  and  care  and  trial  but  proves 
our  faith  that  God  is  good,  the  Father  and 
King  of  Love." 

[By  another,  in  reply  to  a  question:]  ' '  The 
highest,  noblest  faith  does  not  act  regardless 
of  time  and  opportunity;  it  waits  till  the 
harvest,  and  then  takes  a  place  among  the 
reapers.  . .  .  The  better  prepared  is  the  field, 
the  stronger  will  be  the  growth  of  the  seed, 
and  the  world  is  rapidly  being  made  more 
ready  to  receive  these  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy." 

[By  another:]  "The  mission  of  the  hu- 
man race  is  to  mould  the  world  to  a  likeness 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  by  giving 
to  others  this  glimpse  of  the  spiritual  world 
you   help   them    to   realise   the   continual 


TRUTH  REVEALED  191 

presence  of  God — the  most  powerful  check 
to  evil  and  stimulus  to  good. " 

[By  another:]  "Remember  that  the 
echoes  of  Truth  never  die;  they  sound  on 
forever,  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  your 
own  circle,  your  own  age,  your  own  race. 

"Look  not  too  far  forward,  either  with 
longing,  or  with  fear;  to-morrow  will  dawn 
with  to-morrow's  light.  Could  you  but 
know  our  peace  in  trust  and  faith!" 

[By  another:]  "We  look  forward  to  a 
day  of  rejoicing  when  we  shall  see  in  Earth- 
life  an  impulse  go  forth  from  those  Messages 
of  Grace.  For  we  see  in  them  the  promise 
of  a  blessed  future,  the  promise  of  still 
larger  benefits  that  must  arise  from  this 
beginning.  We  know,  but  only  in  part, 
that  this  is  the  first  step  in  a  new  movement 
from  these  spheres  to  yours  in  Earth-life. 
And  when  we  have  realised  a  strength 
which  we  shall  see  has  originated  here, 
then  we  shall  go  on  from  strength  to 
strength,  and  God  will  give  the  increase; 
so  that,  by  His  help  and  guidance,  this  shall 


192  TRUTH  REVEALED 

be  a  means  of    bringing  many  into  His 
kingdom." 

[By  another:]  *  *  The  treasures  which  you 
possess  [the  Messages],  though  they  speak 
in  riddles  to  the  souls  of  Earth,  are  as  dear 
to  us  in  this  land  of  heavenly  brightness 
as  they  are  to  you,  to  whom  they  appear 
as  stars  of  promise  on  a  dark  sky.  This 
bond  of  knowledge  and  possession  unites 
us  and  our  world  to  you  and  yours.  We 
long  to  be  again  the  channel  of  communion 
from  that  heavenly  sphere;  but  no  power 
of  love,  or  desire,  can  draw  aside  the  veil 
until  the  blessing  is  ready  for  bestowal. 
Farewell!" 


THE    END 


APPENDICES 


13  193 


[It  was  purposed  to  confine  the  selections  from 
the  record  to  those  higher  products  of  the  experience 
comprised  in  Part  III,  as  privately  printed  in  1894. 
But  on  reprinting  them  for  publication  it  was 
thought  best  to  add,  as  Appendices,  a  few  extracts 
relating  to  the  means  and  other  interests  of  the 
earlier  stage  of  the  inquiry.     These  follow.] 


194 


APPENDIX  A 

The  origin  of  the  experience  was  as  follows: — • 
Three,  and  in  the  earlier  stage  occasionally  four  per- 
sons, friends,  met  together  in  their  homes  to  inquire 
experimentally  into  the  nature  of  an  alleged  conscious 
intercourse  with  the  unseen  by  "automatic"  or"nie- 
dianimic"  writing:  none  of  whom  had  any  previous 
experience  of  this  intercourse.  During  their  meetings 
there  was  gradually  developed  in  one  of  their  number 
a  state  of  "magnetic  sleep,"  or  trance,  the  senses 
being  in  a  state  of  total  suspension.  A  pencil  was 
placed  in  the  hand  of  the  one  so  influenced,  and  the 
inquiry  was  conducted  by  means  of  questions  asked, 
to  which  responses  were  made  by  written  replies: 
these  were  read  aloud  as  they  proceeded  (as 
suggested  by  the  writing),  "that  the  minds  of  all 
might  be  bent  in  the  same  direction."  Passing 
beyond  an  experimental  stage  the  writings  varied  in 
character  and  occasionally  in  form;  preceded  by 
the  Christian  name,  or  the  initials,  of  the  invisible 
influence  purporting  to  be  guiding  the  hand.  Some- 
times the  writings  terminated  in  a  vision ;  what  was 
seen  and  heard  in  this  state  being  visible  and  audible 
alone  to  the  one  in  trance;  the  others  present  partici- 
pating in  this  experience  as  simultaneously  com- 
municated by  the  writing,  or  as  orally  reported 
when  consciousness  was  partly  restored.  The  writ- 
195 


196  APPENDIX  B 

ings  were  seldom  more  frequent  than  once  a  week, 
and  sometimes  were  separated  by  an  interval  of 
months;  a  single  experience  was  usually  limited  to 
an  hour's  duration. 

By  a  gradual  progress  the  experience  eventually 
rose  to  the  plane  indicated  in  the  selections  given 
in  Part  III,  when  all  subordinate  interests  gave  place 
to  purely  spiritual  aims,  in  seeking  light  by  this 
means. 

APPENDIX  B 

Early  in  the  experience  it  was  asked  of  the  con- 
trolling influence: — Do  you  guide  the  writing  by 
your  will,  or  by  your  hand?  To  this  it  was  written 
in  reply: — "By  both:  my  will  moves  me,  but  the 
force  of  my  will  has  also  to  move  the  hand  that 
writes.     The  life-power  is  actually  passing  from  one 

to  the  other  while  control  lasts,  from  me  to .     I 

have  not  atoms  of  flesh,  but  a  nerve-power  and  tangi- 
ble form  exists  with  us,  and  this  is  used.  By  natural 
law  we  also  are  governed,  and  we  come  to  you  thus 
by  that  means;  but  the  capacity  to  understand  this 
can  only  come  when  physical  conditions  pass  away. 
We  speak  as  in  a  strange  tongue  when  we  strive  to 
give  knowledge  of  that  which  relates  to  the  natural 
part  of  our  life  here;  to  you  so  mysterious,  to  us  as 
simple  as  breathing.  Were  we  alike  in  ignorance 
of  your  conditions  could  you  explain  to  us  what  is 
meant  by  color,  or  sweetness,  or  fragrance?  We 
find  it  difficult  to  explain  our  outward  conditions. 
Think  of  us  as  ever  in  light,  a  growing  light,  forever 
increasing.  ..."     It  was  asked :  Do  you  regard  this 


APPENDIX  B  197 

intercourse  as  abnormal?  "No:  all  intuitional 
thought  comes  to  you  in  this  way;  that  is,  from 
another  sphere,  though  you  are  unaware  of  it. 
When  you  are  in  open  communion  with  us  you  see 
the  means,  ordinarily  you  see  only  the  effect.  .  .  . 
Connecting  our  thought  with  the  thought  of  those 
in  the  Earth-life  is  a  means  of  growth  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  this  life.  As  all  things  grow  by  contact, 
so  the  special  powers  of  "those  in  Earth-life  supply 
us  with  certain  forces  which  give  an  impulse  to 
thought.  The  effect  of  communing  with  those  on 
Earth  is  also  beneficial  to  us  in  augmenting  our 
power  of  manifesting  ourselves  in  this  world,  on  the 
principle  that  activity  engenders  power,  and  our 
activity  is  first  brought  about  by  contact  with  those 
who  are  still  in  the  Earth-life.  Some  are  detained 
but  a  short  period,  while  others  are  slow  in  de- 
veloping their  spiritual  powers.  Some  carry  with 
them  a  power  of  conviction  which  others  reach  only 
by  association  with  those  who  are  still  in  the  flesh. 
Then,  too,  we  can  incarnate  our  thought  with  the 
thought  of  those  on  Earth,  and  thus  are  good  and 
great  things  accomplished." 


It  was  asked  if  the  surrounding  objects  in  theroom 
were  visible  to  them;  it  was  written  in  reply: — 
*'For  us  and  for  those  entranced,  purely  physical 
things  disappear,  or  are  seen  only  in  outline — that  is, 
inanimate  objects.  The  human  form  [as  fundament- 
ally psychic]  appears  to  us  precisely  as  it  does  to  you, 
and  other  objects  can,  by  a  distinct  effort,  be  seen  for 


198  APPENDIX  C 

a  time.  That  which  is  physical  does  not  belong  to 
our  material  conditions,  consequently  it  does  not 
affect  our  senses ;  we  perceive  it  through  your  minds 
when  we  are  united  with  you.  But  when  you  exert 
magnetic  force,  which  corresponds  to  our  material 
conditions,  we  are  enabled  to  come  amongst  you 
freely,  and  the  light  gradually  increases  in  in- 
tensity until  it  is  as  bright  as  the  sunlight  is  to  your 
eyes.  .  .  . 

"These  outward  means  of  intercourse  are  far 
below  the  deep  mystic  communion  of  spirit  with 
spirit;  in  your  daily  lives  you  little  realise  how 
constant  this  is ;  a  suspension  of  these  outward  means 
does  not  check  this  in  the  least,  though  it  does 
lessen  your  susceptibility  to  our  near  influence;  or 
rather  the  power  of  perceiving  it. ' ' 

APPENDIX  C 

In  reply  to  questions  asked  as  to  what  may  be 
attributable  in  this  intercourse  to  the  mind  of  the 
one  whose  hand  is  controlled,  or  to  the  minds  of 
others  present,  it  was  written : — 

"It  is  easier  for  me  to  guide  the  hand  to  write 
of  what  is  in  my  own  mind,  than  of  that  I  must  find 
out  from  others  present  with  me;  it  is  also  easier  to 
guide  the  hand  to  write  of  things  of  which  you  have 
some  idea,  than  of  those  that  are  entirely  new  to  you 
all;  and  the  hand  is  more  easily  controlled  when 
some  related  knowledge  is  also  dormant  in  the  mind 
of  the  one  serving  as  the  instrument."  In  answer 
to  this  it  was  remarked:  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
many  are  skeptical  of  the  truth  of  spirit-intercourse ! 


APPENDIX  C  199' 

It  was  written:  "Yes,  we  cannot  help  that.  The 
physical  atoms  are  hard  to  move.  Ordinarily  we  use 
and  work  upon  the  knowledge  and  forms  of  expres- 
sion already  present  in  the  mind  of  the  instrument 
used:  it  is  my  thought  in  another's  language.  It  is 
much  easier  to  do  this  than  to  give  a  verbal  message 
from  dictation  by  others  present  with  me."  Sub- 
sequently it  was  said,  by  the  writing,  that  a  verbal 
message  dictated  from  a  higher  sphere  was  "  a  greater 
strain,"  requiring  "greater  concentrated  power 
and  the  united  wills  of  those  who  came." 


At  a  later  day  it  was  written,  with  reference  to 
the  means  of  this  intercourse : — 

"Now  that  you  have  learned  to  touch  closely  on 
this  spirit-world  those  with  me  combine  in  what 
is  said  to  you.  One  after  another  is  drawn  into 
the  mystic  bond  that  links  you  to  us,  and  us  to  you. 
Each  one  contributes  a  new  power,  a  fuller  life, 
a  deeper  shade  of  meaning.  Others  are  acting  on 
your  minds  to  enable  you  to  receive  what  is  said ;  to 
draw  from  you  the  magnetic  sympathy  that  is  the 
secret  of  our  close  communion.  Every  one  present 
with  me  is  taking  part  in  this. 

"We  come  to  you  by  the  Unity  of  the  Spirit. 
Without  that  bond  how  poor  and  superficial  would 
be  our  intercourse?  But  in  the  harmony  of  the 
Spirit  we  have  free  access,  hindered  only  by  the 
barriers  of  the  flesh.  These  may  grow  less  and  less, 
but  they  cannot  be  wholly  removed;  without  pre- 
paredness of  heart  our  words  would  be  as  sounds 


200  APPENDIX  C 

without  meaning.  Occasional  failures  and  variations 
there  may  be,  but  you  will  be  given  what  your  hearts 
are  open  to  receive.  Many  believe  these  truths  with 
the  mind  alone,  and  they  are  not  conscious  of  our 
nearness,  nor  are  we.  But  when  spiritual  truths  are 
received  in  the  heart  their  light  dawns  gradually  on 
the  mind  as  the  stars  come  out  in  an  evening  sky,  and 
they  become  part  of  your  life. 

"True  enlightenment  can  come  only  from  contact 
with  the  Light  of  All  Worlds,  whose  pure  effulgence 
will  remain  unfathomed  throughout  Eternity.  No 
searching  can  enable  you  to  find  out  God,  who  is 
Spirit,  but  you  may  learn  gradually  to  see  in  Him  the 
true  union  of  the  spiritual  and  the  material ;  to  know 
Him  in  Whom  mind  and  matter  meet,  the  origin  and 
fulfilment  of  both.  ..." 


On  another  occasion  it  was  asked:  How  is  this 
intercourse  viewed  by  those  in  your  world ;  here  it  is 
commonly  regarded  as  a  delusion?  In  reply  to  this 
it  was  written: — "You  must  know  that  in  our  world 
our  association  is  only  with  those  whose  sympathies 
are  with  us,  especially  in  higher  things.  In  ordinary 
matters  we  come  in  contact  with  spirits  of  all  dis- 
positions ;  but  we  can  isolate  ourselves,  and  in  things 
that  concern  our  deeper  affections  we  are  united 
with  those  only  whose  interests  are  the  same  as  ours. 
There  are  many  here  who  scoff  at  the  bare  idea  of 
holding  intercourse  with  a  world  above  us,  who  yet 
know  that  we  can  influence  those  we  have  left  on 
Earth.     They  know,  almost  universally,  that  com- 


APPENDIX  D  20I 

munication  with  the  world  we  have  left  is  possible, 
but  many  think  it  useless.  Those  who  have  experi- 
enced it  in  your  life  will  naturally  bring  their  know- 
ledge with  them,  and  will  not  be  "  as  strangers  in  a 
strange  land." 

APPENDIX  D 

At  this  earlier  stage  of  the  inquiry  it  was  also 
asked : — Can  you  advise  us  as  to  conduct  in  temporal 
affairs?  To  this  the  reply  through  the  Wiiting  was: 
— "We  cannot  take  the  power  of  judging  out  of  your 
hands;  we  are  not  permitted  to  do  that,  we  can  only 
influence."  Have  you  a  clearer  knowledge  of  the 
future  than  we  have?  "What  we  cannot  see,  we 
know  will  be  well. ' '  Then  you  see,  as  we  do,  with  the 
eye  of  faith?  "It  is  more  than  faith,  it  is  a  clear 
knowledge:  we  cannot  see  always,  but  we  do  know." 
Then  you  see  farther  into  the  future  than  we  do? 
"Yes,  we  feel  a  future;  it  is  not  prescience,  but  a 
knowledge  that  we  cannot  defme  to  you."  Are 
you  able  to  predict  events?  "We  see  sometimes  in 
glimpses,  and  can  judge  more  correctly  what  will  be 
the  consequence  of  dawning  events.  Though  we  are 
not  always  right,  for  a  hindrance  to  the  natural 
course  of  things  sometimes  arises."  Then  we 
should  not  look  to  you  for  guidance  in  temporal 
affairs?  "No;  for  that  would  palsy  your  powers 
of  mind  and  judgment;  in  forming  which  you  may 
be  guided  by  influences  far  wiser  than  ours,  of  which 
we  have  no  knowledge.  ..." 

In  reply  to  questions  concerning  doctrines  of 
religious  belief,  it  was  written  at  this  earlier  stage : — • 


202  APPENDIX  D 

"  Do  not  inquire  too  deeply  into  these  mysteries,  for 
such  matters  of  our  inmost  life  are  impossible  to 
reveal  in  words.  I  could  only  give  you  my  belief  on 
a  subject  on  which  we  have  yet  much  to  learn." 
Those  with  you,  then,  may  hold  different  views? 
"Yes;  and  you  have  more  likelihood  of  attaining  a 
fuller  and  more  correct  knowledge  of  us,  and  of  our 
life,  by  a  comparison  of  what  you  may  learn  from 
different  sources,  as  in  the  things  of  your  own 
mental  world.  One  reason  why  we  are  permitted 
to  have  such  free  communion  with  you  is,  that 
you  are  prepared  to  exercise  your  own  minds  on  what 
you  are  told,  and  do  not  give  a  blind  acceptance  to 
all  that  may  come  to  you  by  this  means.  It  is  on 
account  of  this  favorable  disposition  for  the  reception 
of  spiritual  teachings  that  you  have  developed  the 
power  in  so  short  a  time,  and  we  too  are  glad  to  speak 
with  you  for  this  reason. " 


Before  passing  into  magnetic  sleep  the  person  so 
influenced*  desired,  at  a  later  stage  of  the  inquiry, 
that  it  should  be  asked,  "Why  it  was  that  the 
communications  were  almost  exclusively  confined  to 
subjects  of  religious  interest?  "  When  this  question 
was  asked,  it  was  written: — "Because  we  can 
speak  to  you  more  freely  on  this  subject  than  on  any 
other.  The  spiritual  is  the  most  universally  applica- 
ble of  all  elevating  interests ;  all  who  desire  spiritual 
growth  have  this  in  common :  and  there  is  a  closer 
affinity  between  your  methods  of  thought  and  ours 

*  Who  died  some  years  after  the  writings  ceased. 


APPENDIX  D  203 

on  this  subject  than  on  any  other.  The  unity  of  the 
Spirit  is  our  bond,  for  this  unites  all  spheres  in  one. " 
[The  endeavor  to  resolve  definite,  concrete  impres- 
sions of  their  outward  life  and  environment  was 
necessarily  elusive  because  of  fundamental  distinc- 
tions in  the  outward  nature  of  that  life  as  distin- 
guished from  physical  conditions.] 


On  another  occasion  it  was  written: — "When  I 
pause  in  the  writing  it  is  often  because  some  new 
influence  wishes  to  gain  expression,  but  usually 
those  associated  with  me  must  communicate  through 
me  [the  habit  being  formed  which  rendered  the 
conditions  favorable]:  W.  D.  says,  'To  the  earthly 
view  life  is  but  a  transient  appearance,  bursting 
from  darkness  into  light  and  vanishing  away  in 
gloom.  But  every  spirit  who  has  ever  inhabited 
a  human  body  is  living  and  conscious  to-day. 
Each  is  living  a  life  that  is  a  permanent  reality,  for 
every  act  entails  its  consequences  and  in  a  measure 
affects  every  other  act.  The  essence  of  all  we  learned 
on  Earth  remains  with  us,  and  is  as  real  and  neces- 
sary as  anything  we  learn  here.'  Here  we  see 
with  greater  fullness  and  clearness  what  to  us  while 
on  Earth  was  but  a  dim  vision  of  truth;  but  the 
gradual  process  of  growth  from  dimness  to  clearness 
was  needful  for  us.  Our  desire  is  to  enlarge  our 
capacity,  and  the  knowledge  of  goodness  increases 
as  we"^ — [advance?].  Here  the  writing  merged  into 
a  distinct  message  from  another  source,  which  had 
begun  while  the  above  was  in  progress,  being  inter- 


204  APPENDIX  D 

polated  in  another  handwriting;  as  if  the  two  in- 
fluences affecting  the  hand  were  unconscious  of  each 
other's  control.  On  inquiring  about  this  later  it  was 
written : — "  We  did  not  see  his  presence  and  supposed 
your  counsellor  had  gone."  This  experience  included 
likewise,  as  shown  above  (indicated  by  the  initials 
W.  D.),  an  example  of  words,  not  his  own,  but  given 
by  dictation  through  the  habitual  control. 


On  still  another  occasion  it  was  written,  so  faintly 
as  to  be  almost  illegible: — "These  long  intervals 
hinder  our  influence,  or  rather  the  development 
of  the  power:  touch  the  hand.  [This  was  done  and 
immediately  the  writing  became  strong.]  While 
you  dwell  on  that  higher  Message  [see  elsewhere, 
under  date  of  March  ii,  1883,  page  142],  its  influence 
remains  powerful.  Your  treasure  is  beyond  all 
price.  See  to  it  that  the  earthen  vessels  to  whom 
it  is  committed  guard  and  cherish  it  with  all  possible 
love  and  reverence.  The  power  was  taken  from  me 
by  one  higher  than  myself.  These  simple  means 
may  aid  you  in  working  the  miracle  of  translating 
your  minds  from  darkness  into  light.  They  raise 
you  above  the  Earth  and  place  you,  though  with 
unopened  eyes,  in  this  world  where  even  common 
things  are  transfigured.  ..." 


After  several  attempts  it   was   written,   at  the 
conclusion  of  a  new  experience: — "We  were  obliged 


APPENDIX  D  205 

to  let  use  the  power  as  the  only  means  of 

obtaining  a  quiet  transition  of  the  force  after  X 
[a  new  influence]  had  written.  Now  we  are  all 
uniting  our  strength  in  the  effort  to  use  the  waning 
power  collectively."  After  the  hand  had  gone 
through  the  motions  of  writing,  with  but  few  words 
that  were  legible,  it  was  faintly  written: — "Can  you 
read  it?"  On  replying  in  the  negative,  it  was 
written: — "Try  again;  touch  the  hand" — the  writ- 
ing then  became  stronger. 

On  still  another  occasion  the  hand  went  through 
the  motions  of  writing  a  whole  sheet  without  the 
pencil  touching  the  paper,  or  only  here  and  there, 
and  very  faintly.  Eventually  it  was  written: — ■ 
"Feeble  and  imperfect,  we  cannot  guide  the  hand. 
All  our  force,  every  effort,  was  useless.  The  words 
of  the  Message  sounded  around  us,  but  were  not 
given  in  a  way  by  which  we  could  write  them  for 
you.".  .  .  [It  was  necessary  to  meet  again  to 
receive  the  words,  when  it  was  written:]  "It  is 
quite  impossible  for  you  to  join  with  us  in  receiving 
tliese  Messages  from  the  higher  spheres  if  you  come 
together  absorbed  in  other  interests.  Your  proper 
preparation,  but  still  more  perfect  passivity  of  mind 
during  the  writing,  is  what  enables  us  to  impress 
you,  and  renders  you  susceptible  to  the  higher 
influence.  .  .  .  All  are  now  gathering  about  us,  for 
we  know  that  the  heavens  will  be  opened  to  us,  and 
to  you :  we  are  all  awaiting  this. ' '  A  pause  followed, 
during  which  the  pencil  fell  from  the  hand.  The 
head  of  the  one  in  trance  was  bent  low,  as  if  in  rever- 
ence, the  eyes  still  closed  in  deep  magnetic  sleep. 
When  the  hand  resumed  the  pencil  there  followed 


2o6  APPENDIX  E 

the  Message  given  ]May  i6,  1885,  as  will  be  found 
elsewhere,  (page  161). 

APPENDIX  E 

On  another  occasion  it  was  written : — 
.  .  .  "Sorrow  ceases  when  we  enter  upon  the 
true  spiritual  life.  Prolonged  existence  may  seem 
to  you  a  prolonged  struggle,  but  this  struggle  with  us 
is  an  unconscious  one ;  one  in  which  we  are  so  taken 
out  of  ourselves  that  we  do  not  realise  it  has  been 
a  struggle  until  we  look  back  and  mark  the  progress 
that  has  been  made.  Perpetually  successful  effort 
is  conducive  to  happiness.  Our  wider  outlook  recon- 
ciles us  to  much  that  troubles  you,  and  even  when  not 
rejoicing,  we  are  content.  ...  A  cloud  of  witnesses 
here  testify  that  life  is  the  highest  blessing  God 
has  to  give,  and  without  those  first  stages  of  trial  and 
discipline  you  would  never  be  fitted  for  its  con- 
summation. ...  All  effort  on  your  part  is  a  means 
to  that  end ;  but  the  happiness  that  is  sought  for,  will 
always  fly  before  you.  If  this  truth  is  not  learned  on 
Earth,  it  takes  long  to  acquire  it  here. "  Is  it  more 
difficult  to  acquire  a  new  truth  there  than  here? 
"Yes,  if  that  truth  is  one  which  should  have  been 
learned  on  Earth,  but  to  which  the  mind  has  been 
wilfully  closed.  That  you  are  not  to  make  happiness 
an  end  is  a  truth  which  Earth-life  is  intended  to 
teach.  Many  who  even  try  to  do  right  go  through 
life  without  acquiring  it." 


Subsequently     it     was     written: — "What     was 
dear  to  us  in  the  Earth-life    is  still  rooted  in  our 


APPENDIX  E  i07 

affections.  You  part  with  nothing  that  is  good 
and  pure  in  passing  into  this  Hfe.  Of  evil  you  will 
be  purged:  a  time  of  purging  comes  to  all;  sometimes 
in  your  life,  the  first  life,  through  suffering;  and  they 
are  happy  who  suffer  thus  on  earth,  for  they  enter 
sooner  into  a  fuller  life  here."  How  is  it  with 
those  who  have  led  evil  lives  on  Earth?  "  They  are 
helped  to  cast  out  evil.  The  power  to  cast  out  evil  is 
in  proportion  to  the  exercise  the  faculties  have  had  in 
your  world — your  training-school.  As  you  are  in 
your  character,  you  will  be  in  all  your  uendencies 
here,  and  with  us  they  are  as  varying  as  with  you. " 
What  is  now  your  view  of  evil?  "We  recognise  in 
it  the  presence  of  a  power:  more  than  this  we  do 
not  know.  It  is  not  as  obscure  to  us  as  to  you,  but 
we  have  not  much  light  on  this  subject,  for  it  does 
not  personally  and  immediately  concern  us."  Are 
you  not  subject  to  external  temptation?  "Not 
external,  for  those  with  me  here  are  guarded 
from  evil.  Internal  temptation  we  may  be  said 
to  be  subject  to,  for  the  habits  we  have  formed 
still  cling  to  us;  but  as  the  atmosphere  is  pure,  we 
desire  purity,  and  evil  falls  away  from  our  natures 
more  easily  and  more  rapidly  than  you  can  con- 
ceive."  Then  it  is  not  a  struggle  between  good 
and  evil  influences?  "No,  it  can  hardly  be  called 
a  struggle,  for  almost  all  the  influences  are  in  one 
direction — that  of  good."  Does  evil  exist  as  a 
means  of  discipline?  "  It  is  subject  to  God's  Almighty 
Power.  It  is  in  His  hands  an  instrument  for  the 
training  of  character;  but  we  are  distressed  and 
perplexed  at  its  great  force  when  brought  in  contact 
with  it;  either  in  those  we  love  on  Earth,  or  with 


2o8  APPENDIX  F 

those  here  who  are  undergoing  their  purification  in 
the  ante-chamber  of  this  new  Hfe. "  May  not  evil 
be  regarded  as  the  absence  of  good?  "It  is  not 
merely  a  negation,  it  is  a  positive  force;  allowed,  if 
not  created,  by  God  as  a  discipline  and  punish- 
ment."  Are  some  with  you  still  tempted  with  evil 
desires?  "They  are,  when  evil  has  been  willingly 
indulged  in,  and  the  spirit  has  become  infected  with 
it.  The  more  evil  one  brings  with  him  out  of  your 
earthly  life,  the  harder  and  longer  is  his  purification 
— although  help  is  ever  extended  to  him. ' ' 

[These  thoughts  are  of  special  interest  as  the 
thoughts  of  one  speaking  from  the  immediate  next 
stage  of  life.  In  this  connection  the  following  was 
dictated  through  the  habitual  control,  by  another 
influence:]  "He  says,  If  you  bear  in  mind  that 
what  you  do  on  earth  is  the  key  to  your  future  eter- 
nal life,  you  are  furnished  with  a  motive  to  effort 
in  that  which  is  good  stronger  than  any  that  could 
be  laid  down.  That  is  the  reasonable  motive. 
The  motive  of  the  affections,  or  the  impulse  of  grati- 
tude, should  be  as  strong,  but  in  nature  it  seldom  is. 
Thus  even  self-interest  is  turned  to  good.  He  bade 
me  write  these  words. " 

APPENDIX   F 

[The  entrance  of  a  little  child  in  their  midst, 
interrupting  a  communication,  prompted  the 
following:]  "The  innocence  of  those  who  come  here 
as  little  children  saves  them  from  all  conflict  with 
the  weaknesses  which  others  bring  with  them. 
This  is  more  than  a  compensation  for  the  power 


APPENDIX  G  209 

they  might  have  attained  in  a  successful  struggle 
for  good,  had  they  lived  longer  in  your  world.  Some 
are  given  a  mission  to  fulfill  which  detains  them  here ; 
but  when  this  is  not  the  case  their  innocence  and 
purity  enable  them  to  advance  so  rapidly  that  they 
soon  pass  on  to  a  higher  life.  In  your  world  the 
innocence  which  belongs  only  to  ignorance  of  evil 
might  be  a  source  of  weakness  to  one  exposed  to 
conflict  with  evil;  but  here  no  conflict  comes  to 
these  little  ones;  their  innocence  heightens  all  good, 
and  is  a  perpetual  support  and  guide  to  therr.  This 
does  not  separate  them  from  those  who  love  then, 
for  they  are  not  capable  of  seeing  evil.  One  reason 
why  so  many  pass  on  quickly  must  seem  to  you  a  sad 
one — the  quick  forgetfulness  by  those  they  have  left 
behind;  especially  when  they  have  left  on  earth 
but  a  slight  trace  of  their  Hves,  so  that  when  they 
pass  away  they  seem  to  have  wholly  gone.  But  while 
the  bond  of  affection  is  maintained  they  will  never 
pass  beyond  the  reach  of  those  who  love  them;  they 
will  remain  in  this  sphere  till  those  who  love  them 
come  to  them,  yet  ever  holding  communion  with  a 
still  higher  life." 

APPENDIX  G 

[A  speculative  question] 

An  expression  of  their  view  was  asked  concerning 
the  nature  and  persistency  of  sex.  It  was  written  in 
reply: —  "You  must  have  learned  by  this  intercourse 
that  although  the  physical  body  passes  away,  the 
masculine  and  feminine  principles  of  the  soul  are  of 
14 


210  APPENDIX  G 

an  eternal  character.  With  you,  on  Earth,  God 
has  chosen  to  embody  these  principles  separately  in 
man  and  woman ;  but  this  is  His  plan  for  the  lower 
spheres  only.  To  my  apprehension  the  feminine 
principle  is  the  spirit,  or  life;  while  the  masculine 
principle  is  force,  or  the  manifestation  of  spirit  and 
life.  Even  in  your  stage  of  life  these  two  principles 
have  already  begun  to  be  blended,  and  the  sphere  in 
which  they  will  be  completely  harmonised  and  united 
is  within  our  conception,  though  we  have  no  real 
knowledge  of  it.  This  blending  begins  with  you 
in  every  true  marriage ;  first  in  a  blending  of  interests 
and  work.  Perhaps  it  does  not  begin  there,  for  as 
these  two  principles  pervade  the  world  there  are 
many  lower  stages  of  life  where  this  [duality]  is  mani- 
fested before  it  is  seen  in  man  and  woman.  In  our 
life  we  already  begin  to  feel  the  change  that  is 
wrought  by  the  closer  union  of  these  two  principles ; 
and  a  little  farther  on  we  know  that  they  will  be 
united  in  one  being.  No  single  individual  is  solely 
man,  or  solely  woman,  a  fusion  is  taking  place  in 
each  one;  but  this  is  only  complete  in  the  highest 
and  most  perfect  natures — you  have  already  re- 
marked this  of  Christ. 

"But  for  the  beginning  of  this  union  you  must  go 
back  to  the  lower  stages  of  life.  That  the  stronger 
oppress  the  weaker  is  apart  from  the  ordinance  of 
God  that  has  separated  these  principles  in  man  and 
woman.  This  is  a  condition  which  must  be  gradu- 
ally changed,  as  must  all  others  that  result  from 
human  wrong."  Do  these  conditions  extend  into 
your  sphere?  "They  do  through  its  earlier  stages; 
principally  because  no  established  influence,  or  habit, 


APPENDIX  H  211 

can  suddenly  be  shaken  off.  But  you  may  see  for 
yourselves  how  much  these  conditions  must  be 
affected  by  the  dropping  off  of  the  physical  body 
with  its  inherited  weakness. 

"The  connection  between  the  physical  and  the 
spiritual  is  in  many  respects  clearer  to  your  minds 
now  than  it  was  [before  this  intercourse  was  opened]. 
The  senses  are  not  physical,  although  they  manifest 
themselves  through  your  physical  bodies.  We 
experience  pleasures  in  our  life  which  you  experi- 
ence in  connection  with  the  senses,  onl}  they  are 
purified,  heightened,  and  glorified.  Those  here 
who  have  not  begun  their  effort  to  improve  and 
advance,  experience  just  the  same  sensations  they 
did  when  their  spirits  dwelt  in  earthly  bodies. 

"But  there  are  many  things  which  draw  us 
more  closely  together  than  the  discussion  of  such 
subjects  of  the  natural  life.  The  Messages  you 
have  received  belong  to  another  sphere,  where 
such  thoughts  are  wholly  subordinated  to  higher 
interests;  and  to  that  sphere  you  may  lift  your 
minds  in  your  calm  moments.  Here  we  meet  you 
on  common  ground  as  both  partaking  of  the  good 
things  given  us." 

APPENDIX  H 

In  reply  to  questions  asked  concerning  the  will,  it 
was  written  by  another  influence: — "  The  will  is 
that  spiritual  part  of  you  which  passes  into  this  life 
unchanged;  its  powers  are  intensified  here,  and 
its  chosen  direction  deepened :  against  it  the  strong- 
est force  we  can  exercise  is  powerless.  .  .  , 


212  APPENDIX  I 

"  The  force  of  every  effort,  of  every  obstacle  over- 
come, passes  into  the  soul.  That  same  force  against 
which  you  strive  becomes  your  own,  with  which  to  go 
forth  in  the  vanquishing  of  evil,  to  be  ever  renewed 
so  long  as  the  will  is  pure.  .  .  , 

"The  first  step  in  the  training  of  the  will  is  the 
giving  up  of  self.  We  are  taught  to  do  this  indirectly 
by  ignoring  self — to  have  no  self-will;  and  more 
directly  by  going  out  of  ourselves  and  thinking  of, 
and  for,  others  whom  we  love.  .  .  .  When  we  desire 
to  do  the  Will  of  God  we  find  our  power  to  advance 
is  limited  only  by  our  power  of  self-abnegation.  In 
loving  others  we  love  God  more,  for  we  see  them  as 
indwelt  and  inspired  by  Him. 

"The  will  is  the  being,  hence  in  the  union  of  the 
human  will  to  God  you  are  made  part  of  Him,  actu- 
ally partaking  of  His  nature.  Dififerent  degrees  of 
holiness  only  imply  more  or  less  unity  of  the  will 
to  God." 

[These  additional  extracts  from  the  writings  will 
suffice  to  indicate  their  varied  character,  especially 
in  the  earlier  stage  of  the  experience;  not  only  in 
relation  to  the  means,  or  instrumentalities,  but  as  to 
the  quality  of  the  thought  expressed.] 

APPENDIX  I 

While  it  was  purposed  to  eliminate  personal 
attributions  altogether  from  the  selections  given  in 
Part  III,  the  culmination  of  the  whole  experience 
seemed  to  require  that  some  exceptions  should  be 
made,  as  indicating  the  higher  agencies  that  gradu- 
ally led  up  to  this  culmination.     Another  important 


APPENDIX  I  213 

reason,  for  one  exception  at  least,  is  indicated  in 
what  follows.  Some  time  after  the  reception  of  the 
first  Message,  attributed  to  St.  Augustine  (page  128), 
there  was  discovered  among  his  published  writings  a 
passage  having  marked  points  of  resemblance  to  the 
wording  of  the  Message  received  November  5,  1882. 
This  similarity  of  expression  naturally  suggested  that 
the  one  serving  as  the  means  for  its  communication 
may  have  had  subconsciously  lodged  in  the  mind, 
or  memory,  some  latent  knowledge  of  this  earlier 
writing.  But  subsequent  teachings  revealed  the 
fact  that  a  spirit,  even  the  highest,  when  descending 
into  earthly  conditions  for  this  outward  communion, 
necessarily  reenters  a  state  of  mind  that  was  his 
while  on  Earth;  using  similar  forms  of  expression, 
and  sometimes  even  the  same  tongue — as  illustrated 
in  "  the  gift  of  tongues. ' '  When  this  was  ascertained, 
then  what  had  given  rise  to  questionings,  tended 
to  confirm  the  truth  of  this  attribution.  The  two 
writings  referred  to  are  placed  here  side  by  side  for 
comparison : 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  AUGUSTINE'S 

WRITINGS 

"To   you   who  crave 

for  goodness  as  the  hart  '  Like    as     the    hart 

pants  after  the  waters  I  desireththewaterbrooks, 

come  with  words  of  love  so  longeth  my  soul  after 

and  hope  and  encourage-  thee,  O  God.  .  .  .  Blessed 

jnent.  ^^^  ^^®y  '^^'^  have  passed 
over  the  great  and  wide 

"We,   by    the    mercy  sea  to  the  eternal  shore, 

and  love  of  God,  dwell  in  and    are     now    blessed 

the  land  of  light,  in  the  in  their  desired  rest.  .  .  . 

kingdom  of  endless  ages.  How  long  shall  I  be  tossed 


214 


APPENDIX  I 


Here  is  undying  life,  here 
the  peace  which  passeth 
understanding,  here  joy 
wanes  not,  here  beauty 
withers  not,  here  love 
grows  not  cold,  for  we 
dwell  in  the  smile  of  the 
Face  of  God. 

"We,  too,  have  been 
as  you  now  are,  tossed 
on  the  waves  of  this 
troublesome  world.  Now 
we  stand  on  the  Eternal 
shore  and  see  your  peril 
as  the  billows  of  trial 
and  temptation  surge 
around  you.  And  we 
hold  up  to  you  the  light 
of  Love  and  Truth  to 
guide  you  home.  And 
we  bid  you  remember 
that  the  day  is  coming, 
when  in  you,  as  in 
us,  patience  shall  have 
wrought  her  perfect 
work,  when  hope  shall  be 
lost  in  fruition,  and  when 
you,  too,  shall  know  the 
fullness  of  joy  that 
abides  in  the  Presence  of 
God." 


about  on  the  waves  of 
this  mortal  life. .  . .  Hear 
me,  O  Lord,  from  this 
great  and  wide  ocean ,  and 
bring  me  to  the  everlast- 
ing Haven.  O  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  end- 
less ages,  wherein  rests 
the  untroubled  light  and 
peace  of  God,  which 
passeth  all  understand- 
ing, where  the  souls  of  the 
Saints  are  at  rest,  and 
everlasting  joy  is  upon 
their  heads,  and  sorrow 
and  sighing  have  fled 
away.  .  .  .  There,  is  in- 
finite, unfailing  joy ; 
gladness  without  sor- 
row; light  without  dark- 
ness ;  life  without  death ; 
there  the  vigor  of  age 
knows  no  decay;  and 
beauty  withers  not;  nor 
does  love  grow  cold ;  nor 
joy  wane  away;  for  there 
we  look  evermore  upon 
the  Face  of  the  Lord 
God  of  Hosts.  ...  We 
are  tossed  about  on  the 
wild  and  stormy  waves 
in  the  dark  night;  and 
Thou,  standing  on  the 
shore,  beholdest  our 
peril.  .  .  .  Guide  us 
among  the  shoals  and 
quicksands  which  beset 
all  our  course,  and  bring 
us  at  length  in  safety  to 
the  Haven  where  we 
would  be." 


APPENDIX  I  215 

It  will  be  seen  that  while  the  form  of  the  Message 
is  similar,  the  thought  and  purpose  differ;  as  of  one 
who  had  attained  and  experienced  what  the  other 
writing  aspired  to  and  hoped  for.  The  Messages 
received  December  28,  1884,  and  May  16,  1885, 
were  also  attributed  to  this  same  influence. 


In  this  connection  it  was  asked  if  the  names  of 
Messengers  of  still  higher  significance,  as  given 
in  the  writings,  were  assumed  by  others  speaking  for 
them,  or  were  they  themselves  actually  present? 
To  this  the  reply  by  the  writing  was: — "They 
were  themselves  present;  but  their  words  were 
inspired  from  a  still  Higher  Source. ' '  The  Message 
of  January  7,  1883  (page  133),  was  attributed  to 
"Saint  Thomas,  the  apostle";  and  that  of  March 
II,  1883  (page  142)  to  "Saint  Stephen."  Of  this 
latter  attribution,  it  was  asked:  How  was  this 
known?  It  was  written  in  reply: —  "We  were  told 
by  those  who  came  before,  and  those  who  followed 
after,  the  Martyr."  Of  these  higher  instrumentali- 
ties it  was  written: — "Their  desire  is  to  strengthen 
us  in  this  cause,  .  .  .  They  come  with  a  high  end  to 
accomplish"  (pages  135-6).  These  attributions  are 
omitted  in  Part  III  lest  they  divert  attention  from 
the  spiritual  aim  of  the  revelation  by  reference  to 
personal  instrumentalities  which  might  be  deemed 
incredible  even  by  those  prepared  to  receive  their 
Messages  as  Words  of  Life. 

In  the  Message  received  January  7, 1883  (page  133) 
the  second  sentence  was  addressed  (as  in  several 


2i6  APPENDIX  J 

instances  easily  discerned  in  other  Messages)  to  those 
in  the  immediate  next  stage  of  life  who  were  the 
means  of  opening  and  guarding  this  channel  of  con- 
scious communion  with  the  higher  spheres;  for  the 
Messages  were  equally  for  them  as  for  those  of 
Earth. 

APPENDIX  J 

When  asked  what  would  be  the  probable  effect 
of  publishing  these  writings,  it  was  written: — 
"You  must  judge  for  yourselves;  for  you  are  in  the 
conditions  where  your  judgment  would  be  better 
than  ours,  who  have  passed  beyond  them.  But 
remember  that  prudence  does  not  count  for  nothing. 
.  .  .  We  also  earnestly  desire  a  wider  diffusion  of  this 
light  in  connection  with  our  work  here,  and  we  judge 
of  its  importance  by  the  effect  it  has  had  on  your 
minds." 

That  these  writings  may  find  a  wider  field  of 
distribution  than  was  possible  through  private 
channels,  they  have  been  edited  for  publication  in 
this  form;  addressed  primarily  to  all  who  profess  and 
call  themselves  Christians  (because  of  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  Scriptures),  but  equally  to  those  also 
who  may  be  otherwise  prepared  to  receive  them  with 
an  open  mind. 


''iiMMi^M?M».II',^°'°il'^^'  Seminary  Libraries 


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